Boys, Meet my Truck
by Fire Redhead
Summary: Set after "Tinman". Ironhide deals with Annabelle's prospective suitors. Will Annabelle ever find "Mr. Right" with Ironhide scaring off any who dare to pursue her?
1. Age 16: Daniel

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness_

_**A/N: Just a series of short chapters telling of a few young suitors who try to get sweet with Annabelle Lennox and Ironhide's method of dealing with them.**_

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 16: Daniel"**

**By Leah Wood**

_Outside Annabelle's school…_

Ironhide waited patiently in the school parking lot, his timer synchronized with the closing bell. Though it was boring and often miserable, Ironhide would wait for Annabelle everyday to take her home from school no matter what the weather. During certain seasons he'd wait for Annabelle even longer to complete her after school activities. Still, he didn't mind. He once waited a decade for a ship to pick him up off a deserted asteroid belt—a few hours was no time at all.

There were times when "Uncle Hide" would "drive" Annabelle to school and then he was free to roam around the town, stretching his metal until the bell rang. That way he could avoid suspicion. Though, few of Annabelle's schoolmates had ever seen the young girl's elusive, mysterious "Uncle" who drove the biggest black truck ever spawned from an American auto factory—or rather, sparked and assembled on the Western Hemisphere of Cybertron during the Battle of Tyger Pax. All they got were brief glimpses of Ironhide's hologram when the occasion warranted an appearance. But, as Annabelle grew up he slowly began to recede his hologram's already minimal appearances so Annabelle could appear to have the independence every young human wanted during High School, as well as the idea that she could drive "Uncle Hide's" monster truck.

He felt rather awkward in the school parking lot since he was almost a whole car taller than most of the vehicles, even shading the biggest diesel pickups belonging to the resident cowboy students—even _they_ dropped their jaws when he rolled into the lot and let Annabelle out. Never had a truck stirred so much attention. He remembered Annabelle receiving instant popularity when she jumped out on the first day of High School, which made him feel good since it seemed to help his charge. Though, it began drawing attention from the young boys as well—something Ironhide was not at all pleased with. He wasn't sure why but when any young male made advances on Annabelle he got very uncomfortable and when Ironhide got uncomfortable his Energon started to boil. He just didn't trust these hormonally charged boys around his youngling.

The bell rang shrilly and minutes later students began pouring out of the building. Only Annabelle's wavy blonde hair caught his attention as she made her way out. She was just about to set foot in the parking lot when someone called her name. Annabelle turned to see Daniel, the short-stop for the school's baseball team. Daniel was, as the young human females would say, hot. His hair was dark and always spiked in the front, his skin was tan from being out playing his sport, his eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and baseball had given him a very muscular, lean physique. Ironhide could already detect the joy in Annabelle upon seeing the good looking young male and he could also detect the hormones surging. He intensified his audio sensors to listen in.

"Hey, Anna. What's going on?" the young man asked flashing a smile.

Shyly, Annabelle clenched her books and looked down with a smile of her own, "Hi, Daniel. Oh…just going home."

"Cool. Cool. Say, I was wondering if maybe later we could hang out after my baseball practice?" he offered.

"_**No, she won't. Annabelle has to be home before dark and that sport practice ends around sunset."**_Ironhide thought to himself.

"Really? Where?" Annabelle's voice sounded excited.

"_**What?"**_

Daniel shouldered his baseball cleats, "Meet me at second base. Maybe we could go grab some burgers or something."

"Sure!" Annabelle quickly harnessed her excitement, "Oh, I mean…sure."

The boy smiled and trotted off toward the baseball diamond.

Ironhide's sensors followed him and trained on Annabelle at the same time. She was definitely happy—much happier than before. Grinning broadly, Annabelle climbed into the awaiting _Topkick_ and plopped down in the driver's seat.

"**And just WHAT was that?"** Ironhide inquired with great suspicion.

"What?"

Her guardian's leather interior shifted just slightly, **"Meeting a boy after dark when you clearly don't have clearance for such an activity."**

Annabelle's blue eyes rolled upward and she growled with irritation, "YOU were listening in on my conversations again!"

"**Can I help it if my auditory sensors are so acute?"** the _Topkick_ grated.

"_Yes,_" Annabelle threw up her hands, "I _know_ you can hear very well, but I also know you purposely aim them at _my_ conversations."

The Autobot's voice lowered slightly, **"Why did you agree to meet him?"**

"Uh, duh, he's a total hottie." she answered.

"**Don't you find it a little suspicious?" **

Annabelle curtly put her books down on the arm rest, "What's so suspicious about it? Boys ask girls out. It's not that weird."

"**After dark, ALONE?"** Ironhide's voice rose with protective volume.

"We're just going out to eat." Annabelle argued.

The black Autobot was clearly perturbed, **"Then WHY doesn't he have you meet him there? Why does he want you to meet him at the baseball diamond?" **

"What difference does that make?"

Ironhide's audios, still focused on Daniel suddenly heard precisely what he'd suspected. **"Listen to this then."**

Through the radio, Ironhide projected Daniels voice straight from his audio receptors. He sounded like he was talking to another guy.

"_No way! You really got Annabelle to meet you?"_ the other boy's voice sounded surprised and impressed.

Daniel's voice then replied, _"Told you I could."_

The second boy laughed, _"Yeah, but you don't win the bet unless you get to 'second base' with her."_

"_Have I ever lost a bet when it comes to girls?"_ was Daniel's cocky reply. _"Remember Jackie? I got her to go 'second base' on the first date. Annabelle will be no different."_

Annabelle's mouth dropped open, her happy demeanor flittering into nothingness. She heavily leaned back in the driver's seat, the cruel words ringing in her head. Ironhide disengaged his radio. He didn't enjoy seeing Annabelle so unhappy but she needed to know the truth.

"How did you know?" the girl asked, that distant look plastered on her face.

Rolling out of the parking lot, Ironhide sighed, **"I just know a set up when I hear one."**

Annabelle's blue eyes were wet with hurt tears, "I can't believe I thought he actually liked me." She shook with anger, "Stupid asshole."

The weapons specialist gently slid a seat belt across his charge as he pulled onto the street, heading for home.

……

_Later that night at the baseball diamond…_

Daniel strode out onto the field, his hair slick from his after-practice shower. The night lights had switched on, lighting the field. He glanced around but didn't see Annabelle anywhere.

"_Probably getting ready to see me."_ he thought smugly to himself.

In his mind he tried to plan out what he would say to woo his prospective date. He'd have to play his cards just right if he was to steal a kiss from her and then work his way up to something more. Girls were usually more than eager to make out with him, and judging from Annabelle's excitement she was probably ready to throw her panties at him.

"_Yeah…she's probably got hot tits."_ he mused whimsically, already psyching himself up.

Just then a deep rumble of a truck engine sounded on the outskirts of the field and Daniel turned to see that big, black, tank of a truck Annabelle drove slowly squeezing through the gate that let the equipment truck onto the field. How such a small girl could drive such a huge truck was beyond him. The headlights burned brightly, practically blinding the teen. Rumbling gently as it idled down the truck stopped just short of coming onto the playing field. Daniel held up his hand, shielding his eyes as he approached the monstrous vehicle.

Friendly-like he waved and moved out of the light, "Hey, sweetness! Glad you could make it."

The door opened and instead of a small delicate foot, a large black boot stepped out. Daniel stopped his approach as a large man, probably 6'4 and easily 220 lbs shut the truck door. The hulking figure strode out into the headlights toward Daniel, unhurried. It was only when he came within a few feet did Daniel get a good look at him. He had blue eyes, strikingly bright blue eyes with a faint scar marring the edge of the right eye and a black Hogan-style mustache and short cut black and silver hair. Daniel guessed the guy was probably in his forties…maybe late thirties. Wearing a black tank top, a chain with a strange face-like insignia charm, a set of black cowboy boots, and dark pants, he barely showed up in the dimming light.

At last the big man spoke in a deep resonating bass, laced with a faint drawl, **"Hello, Daniel."**

"Who are you?" the teen asked nervously.

A thin smile cracked the weathered face, **"They call me Hide."**

Realization suddenly dawned on Daniel, "Hey…aren't you Annabelle's uncle or something?"

"**Just a family friend."** the man said, **"Why are you out here? Ain't baseball practice over?"**

"Yeah…yeah, it's over. I'm just waiting for some friends." Daniel lied. "Why are _you_ here?"

Shrugging the man absently glanced skyward, **"Needed some fresh air." **He thoughtfully pointed a finger at the youth, **"Say, don't you play second base?"**

"Uh, short stop actually." the teen admitted.

The icy blue eyes narrowed, another smile forming; this one considerably more dark, **"That's not what I've heard."**

Daniel's eyes darted around, "Huh?"

Moving in a slow methodical circle around the boy the big man sounded introspective, **"See, I've heard you play second base. I heard you LIKE second base."**

From his odd tone the teen started feeling very nervous. Quite suddenly a large hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed.

"**I also heard you like to get girls to GO to second base."** The man's voice lowered an octave, his grip tightening, **"You want to know what **_**else**_** I heard, boy?"**

Daniel swallowed, shaking his head.

The voice became a menacing whisper, **"I heard you wanted to take Annabelle Lennox to second base."**

"No I…I…" the teen jerked away from him, holding up his hands defensively.

Mr. Hide moved toward Daniel, swinging his broad shoulders, **"I don't LIKE to hear those things boy. When I hear things like that I just get…irritated."** he tipped his head, **"You don't want to irritate me, do you boy?"**

"No! No sir. No."Daniel stammered.

Cracking his beefy knuckles, Mr. Hide pointed across the field, **"Tell you what boy, since you like second base so much why don't you run to it?"**

Casually, Mr. Hide opened his truck door and before getting in he uttered menacingly, **"But if I were you…I'd run home—ALL the way home."**

Daniel backed up a step. Suddenly the huge black truck revved its engine and surged forward. Running like the devil himself was after him, Daniel ran to second base and then to the outfield and then over the fence.


	2. Age 17: Brandon

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness_

_**A/N: Just a series of short chapters telling of a few young suitors who try to get sweet with Annabelle Lennox and Ironhide's method of dealing with them.**_

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 17: Brandon"**

**By Leah Wood**

Annabelle spun in a small circle in her room, watching the hem of her flowing sky blue dress swirl gracefully around her ankles.

"You look gorgeous honey." Sara smiled as she sat on her daughter's bed.

"Thanks mom." the teen beamed admiring herself in the mirror. "Thanks for buying my dress. It's SO beautiful!"

Sara felt mist enter her eyes briefly. Her daughter looked so pretty, so grown up. "Well you only get one Junior Prom. Come on. Let's do your hair."

Plopping herself down on the floor between her mom's knees, Annabelle let her mom work her magic. Sara slowly began wetting her daughter's hair down to begin pinning it up in fancy swirls of blonde curls.

"So tell me about this Brandon boy who's taking you." Sara asked as she worked.

"Well, he's got brown hair and brown eyes. He's eighteen and he's on the football team. We met in third period math class." Annabelle explained.

Sara nodded, bobby pins in her mouth, "I see. When is he coming to pick you up?"

"Six-ish. The dinner starts at 7:00."

A thought hit Sara, "Does Ironhide know yet?"

The teen grimaced, "I told him I'm going to the prom with Brandon."

"Did you also tell him Brandon is coming here?" Sara asked, worry creeping into her voice. She had visions of the poor boy's car being blown to smithereens or being smashed into the driveway gravel.

"You _know_ how he is with boys." Annabelle moaned.

"Yes. Yes I do. So you left out that little detail?"

Annabelle turned to face her mother, "No. I asked daddy to explain it to him."

The woman shook her head but gave a smile, "You know he loves you very much hun and he's just trying to keep you safe." Sara reminded her.

The teen let her jaw slide a bit, "Or trying to keep my single the rest of my life."

Sara laughed, "I'm sure your father feels the same as he does."

…..

_Out in Ironhide's building…_

"**For what purpose does this "Junior Prom" serve, Will?"** Ironhide asked, tinkering with his cannon alignment atop his work table.

Up in the loft, where he could be eye-level with the weapons specialist, Will smirked and leaned back in his comfy chair, "Oh it's just a human school tradition. It's a way for teens to socialize and have fun near the end of their school year."

"**It seems frivolous and unnecessary."** the black Autobot replied candidly.

The Captain smiled, "Some think that too. Me, I enjoyed my Junior Prom. I tried to ask out all the senior girls, but they were too good to go out with me. So I went stag."

"**Stag?" **

"Alone. Single. Had the time of my life too. I probably danced with every girl there." the man reminisced.

Ironhide quirked a metal plated brow at him, **"And Sara approved of you courting other females?"**

Will snorted with laughter, "I hadn't met Sara yet. But she wouldn't have minded. They were just dances."

"**I thought this 'dancing' was a human mating display."** Ironhide replied.

The man sputtered and laughed again, covering his face, "You've been watching music videos haven't you?"

The mech shrugged, **"Is that not dancing?"**

"Dirty dancing, Ironhide. What you saw was dirty dancing. Not all dances are like what you see on TV or the Internet. Most dances are slow and just involve swaying in time to the music with a girl." Will explained.

The weapons specialist spun his cannon slowly, **"And…Annabelle will be partaking in such activities with this **_**Brandon**_**?"** he spat the boy's name like it was a curse.

"Ironhide you're not going to go all destructive when Brandon comes are you?" Will chided.

"**You know I'm not allowed to harm humans."** Ironhide assured. Suddenly his optics lifted from his cannon, **"Wait…**_**WHAT?**_** He's coming **_**HERE?**_**"**

Will leaned back, startled by the mech's volume, "Yeah? I thought you knew that."

Ironhide got up quickly, **"I thought **_**I**_** was transporting Annabelle to this event! Not some hormonally charged, half-glitched, boy!"**

"Easy, big guy. It's part of the tradition. The boy invites a girl to the prom, boy picks up girl to take her to prom, and then boy brings her back after the prom." Will tried to calm the irate mech down.

"**Unacceptable!"** Ironhide thundered, **"There is no Earth vehicle safer than me! Why are you entrusting her in such incapable hands?"**

Will rested his hands against the loft railing and bowed his head with aggravation, "To be blunt…Annabelle _wanted_ Brandon to take her. Not you."

The black Autobot dropped his arms slightly, his face perplexed. **"But…but…I don't understand."**

"Look, Ironhide. It's nothing personal, but if _you_ took her it would be just as bad as if _I_ were riding in the car with them." Will tried to smooth over the harsh reality of his daughter's desire for independence. "We humans have a saying: Two's company, three's a crowd."

Ironhide processed his statement for a moment. He understood the words…he just didn't like it.

"**So you TRUST this boy?"** Ironhide tried to tether the mistrust in his voice to a civil level.

"Hell no." Will huffed, "I was a teenage boy once too you know. I know what goes through a young stallion's mind at this age."

Ironhide crossed his arms, making his cannons stand out even more than they normally did, **"Then WHY do you entrust your Sparkling with him?"**

"Well, for one I have to give the boy the benefit of the doubt since I've never met him. He could be a good one. And also I trust Annabelle to make the right decisions. She's a smart girl and she's no pushover." Will assured with pride.

Ironhide nodded with whole-sparked agreement. But he was still perturbed.

Just then Sara's voice shouted out from the house, "Will! Ironhide! She's ready!"

Will leaned out of the loft window which was open, "Ok!" Quickly the man tromped down the stairs, "Come on Ironhide. Let's go see Annabelle."

Ironhide reached over to the wall and activated the Transformer-sized door he used to enter and exit the building, stepping outside. Together they both made their way to the house. Sara was standing on the porch and with a broad smile she gestured to the door. Annabelle stepped outside, holding the hem of her dress up to avoid getting it dirty. Her sky blue dress set off her eyes like twin bursts of blue, her honey blonde hair was in tiny ringlets all piled and pinned high on her head, her face was lightly highlighted with makeup, and her dainty neck was encircled with a blue stoned choker. The teen was smiling from ear to ear as she stepped off the porch.

Will whistled loudly with a teasing tone, "Sara, who is this beautiful young woman? What have you done with my little girl?"

"Daddy." Annabelle chided lightly, still smiling.

The father returned the smile and lightly hugged his daughter, careful not to mess up her hair or makeup, "You look beautiful sweetheart."

"Thanks Daddy." Annabelle looked up at Ironhide when she pulled away, "What do you think?"

The big mech dipped his head with a grin of his own, **"You look like you rolled right off the assembly line."**

Annabelle quirked her head and laughed, "Thanks…I think."

"**It is one of the highest Cybertronian compliments." **Ironhide assured. He paused a moment, trying to put the idea of this Brandon taking her instead of him out of his processors. **"I…hope you have a good time...a safe time."**

"I will Ironhide. Thanks for understanding." the teen reached out and patted his ankle before retreating back into the house to await her date.

Out of the corner of his mouth plates Ironhide mumbled, **"I still don't like this."**

...

Later, Brandon arrived driving up in his white and black Thunderbird. Donned in a matching white tuxedo the teen adjusted his bowtie and marched over to the gate, passing by the big black _Topkick_ in the driveway. Ironhide had half a processor to open his door and knock the little punk on his ass as he passed, but didn't when Annabelle appeared on the porch.

The boy waved, "Hey there Belle! Sorry I'm a little late."

"It's ok Brandon." the girl smiled.

Behind her came Sara and Will.

"Hello, Brandon. I'm Sara, Annabelle's mom." Sara extended a hand which the boy took gently and shook it.

"Good to meet you." the teen replied politely.

Will approached, "Evening son. So, taking my daughter to the prom, huh?"

"Yes sir." Brandon stiffened extending a hand which the soldier shook.

"Well you take good care of her." the man said squeezing the boy's hand tightly to emphasize his point, "I'd like her back by 1:00 at the latest."

Ironhide smirked to himself, glad Will was asserting his protectiveness. The soldier was probably just as imposing to the boy as the Autobot's hologram could be…but perhaps not as imposing as _his_ true form.

"Yes sir."

Taking Brandon's arm, Annabelle was led to the car, waving back to her parents.

"Have fun you two!" Sara waved back, a brief tear in her eye. Her little girl was growing up.

With that the Thunderbird roared down the road, whisking off the Lennox farm Princess, and her "Royal Guard" watching the car leave reluctantly.

….

_1:15_

Will sat on the front porch swing, drumming his fingers on the arm rest and checking his watch for the fifth time. Off to his left in the driveway, Ironhide stood slowly clicking the bulbs of his cannon in a slow mechanical circle.

"**Fifteen minutes twenty-five seconds, Captain."** Ironhide announced, not hiding the irritation in his voice.

"Yes. I _know_ Ironhide. But it's not that late yet."

The black Autobot's eyes flashed a moment, **"He has directly disobeyed your order to return Annabelle by 1:00."**

Will was worried, naturally, but he was also not letting the few minutes get to him. It wasn't exactly the shortest drive to Annabelle's school. Fifteen minutes was not a big stretch.

…

_1:35_

Ironhide paced the farmyard steps heavy as his impatience grew. Suddenly, Will's cell phone rang and he eagerly answered it. Ironhide instantly tapped in.

"_Daddy?"_ Annabelle's voice sounded sad.

"Hi, honey. Are you all right? Are you on your way?" Will asked, trying to keep his initial anger in check.

"_I'm…fine. Can you ask Ironhide to come pick me up?"_ the teen sighed.

In an instant the Autobot transformed into his alt mode but waited to hear the rest of the conversation.

Will leaned forward with concern, "Yeah. What happened Annie?"

Though neither Will nor Ironhide could see the young woman they could hear the tears tighten her voice, _"Brandon…Brandon started sneaking drinks with some of his buddies during the prom. He wanted to take me home but he was drunk. I told him no."_

The soldier nodded, "Good for you honey. That was very wise."

"**Where is she?"** Ironhide demanded, revving his engine.

"_Tell Ironhide I'm at the gymnasium."_ Annabelle replied, _"I'm sorry Daddy."_

"Don't apologize sweetheart. You did the right thing." Will assured just as the Topkick threw sand and sped down the road, "Ironhide is coming."

….

_Later at the gymnasium…_

Ironhide skidded to a halt in front of the gymnasium where he saw Annabelle standing by the door. Picking up the hem of her gown and holding her high heels in one hand she trotted over to the truck. The door obligingly opened and she climbed in. Her face was wet, running her mascara in the corners of her eyes, but Ironhide could sense more anger than sadness. Tossing her shoes to the floor harshly, she leaned back in the leather passenger seat, feeling the consoling warmth.

"Thanks, Ironhide." she mumbled.

"**Are you all right youngling?"** Ironhide's deep voice asked carefully.

Annabelle shrugged, "Physically, sure."

Sensing she didn't want to talk about it, Ironhide started his journey back to the farm. It wasn't until they were nearly outside the town did Annabelle finally vent.

"EEERG! That stupid jerk! Why did he have to be a jackass and drink? We were having such a good time at first, then…" she ranted tipping her hand in a drinking motion. "Totally ruined my prom."

In a small rage, Annabelle ripped the corsage from her wrist and Ironhide opened his window so she could pitch it out.

He didn't say anything. Nothing needed to be said. But something would be done…oh yes. No one ruined Annabelle's happiness.

…….

_Around 3:30 in the morning at the lake south of town…_

Five figures stood on the dock/pier shouting loudly and laughing drunkenly; Brandon his two buddies Mitch and Barry and their dates, who had agreed to join them. All five were changed out of their prom attire and were wearing casual clothes. Brandon chugged the last of his longneck and whooped, throwing the empty bottle into the lake below. His friends celebrated his throw with inebriated enthusiasm.

"Hey man, where's your date?" Mitch asked, hugging his own drunken girl to his side.

Brandon flipped his hand as he stood on the edge of the dock, "Aww, she was being an uppity bitch and wouldn't come because I'd had a couple." He reached into the cooler for another beer, "But who needs her? _We_ can party all night! WOOOO!"

Barry and Mitch threw their own beers in the air, celebrating again and started to chug again. Brandon sighed, wiping his mouth sloppily when across the lake up where they parked their vehicles a blue and orange light hovered in the darkness. The drunken teen blinked, his vision blurred. Was he seeing things?

"Hey…what's those lightsss?" he slurred, pointing.

Just as his friends turned around there was a faint boom and before any of them realized what was happening a line of purplish white light flew across the water and took out the first two pairs support beams of the dock. The whole front part of the dock swung down like a trap door and with a cry of dismay Brandon dropped the five feet into the lake below.

Screaming and shouting his friends ran off of the dock to avoid falling in themselves. They quickly assembled on the lake's edge as Brandon surfaced.

Still holding his beer he shouted in a high voice, "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Without warning a blur of white and black soared in a high arc over the lake before splashing down near the middle. Brandon's jaw dropped.

"Dude…was that your car?" Barry asked, not believing what he'd just seen.

Brandon slowly retreated to shallow water, standing helpless as his Thunderbird dismally sank a few hundred yards away.

"Wha…what?" he whispered.

_**A/N: Let that be a lesson kiddies…don't drink and drive. And ESPECIALLY don't drink at prom and leave your date hanging high and dry when her truck is a three ton ass-kicking war machine :) **_


	3. Age 18 and a half: Paul

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Transformers or any of their human character friends…I only wish to pay tribute to their greatness_

_**A/N: Just a series of short chapters telling of a few young suitors who try to get sweet with Annabelle Lennox and Ironhide's method of dealing with them.**_

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 18 ½: Paul"**

**By Leah Wood**

Annabelle laughed, smiling at the dark haired boy on the motorcycle after his joke. His name was Paul, a young man of eighteen who lived south of town. Paul had dark short hair, green eyes, a tall strong build, and had a mischievous smile. He worked at the mechanic shop on the edge of town, played second string football running back, and was one of the active stage hands of Annabelle's theater troupe.

Across the school parking lot, Ironhide watched the two, his engine gears grinding. He _knew_ that human boy, not by name but by action.

_Earlier that year at Annabelle's school…_

Ironhide waited out in the school parking lot, listening to the performance inside. Though he understood little of the humans need to perform in theater, pretending to be something or someone else, he wanted to see Annabelle in her chosen venue of activity. He of course sent his hologram "Uncle Hide" in with Sara and Will to attend the event and watch the performance. Keeping a constant focus on his hologram, making sure it didn't flicker or falter to give away its fallacy was a constant challenge. For some mechs it was an easy feat. Ironhide had to put a lot of focus into his projections to keep them stable and believable. Short interactions were easy enough but maintaining a hologram's reactions for over an hour was difficult for him—especially when there were distractions.

When the play finally ended with the dropping the curtain, the assembly of humans dispersed. He, like the Lennoxes, waited for Annabelle to emerge from the dressing room. Will was engaged in a conversation with Annabelle's principal who seemed to shower the girl's performance with praise. Ironhide remained quiet, making sure to keep his hologram's breathing and blinking movements at believable intervals.

Suddenly, out the parking lot he felt a presence next to his driver's side door. Normally humans passed him or stopped to take a brief look at his truck form but this particular boy was hanging around a little too long. Ironhide's sensors tried to remain on the suspicious young man but suddenly his hologram needed his attention.

"Hide…_Hide!_" Will nudged Ironhide's hologram inside the theater.

"**Huh?"** the hologram resumed movement.

The man made a gesture toward Annabelle's principal, Mrs. Dewalt; a medium statured woman with high set hair and a friendly smile, "This is Mrs. Dewalt, Annabelle's principal."

Ironhide extended his hologram's hand slowly to shake the woman's hand, **"A pleasure."**

The woman stared from Will to Mr. Hide then from Mr. Hide to Sara, "Are you Will's brother?"

"**Um…no, no. Just a close friend of the family."** Ironhide offered.

"I've seen you on the rarest occasion driving that big black truck to pick up Annabelle." the woman mentioned, "You must be great friends to let Annabelle drive the truck to school."

Ironhide seemed put on the spot but he replied, **"Yes. Yes. She's like a niece to me."** His expression suddenly changed to suspicion as he glanced toward the back door.

Outside the young man had climbed up into the _Topkick's_ bed and whipped out a small plastic device. A weapon? Was this boy trying to break into him? Ironhide readied his transformation but halted immediately, noting the excessive amount of humans milling about the parking lot. He couldn't transform, not with so many witnesses. He also couldn't produce a second hologram to scare the boy away since his was stuck inside the theater.

_**Slag.**_

"So Mr. Hide, where do you hail from?" Principal Dewalt inquired inside.

Grudgingly Ironhide returned his focus to the hologram while trying to maintain an active sensor on the boy in his truck bed. **"Umm. Uh. North Nevada."**

"And what is your occupation?" the woman continued the conversation.

The hologram suddenly grimaced his eyes narrowing as he almost shouted, **"PAINT?!"**

Will and Sara exchanged incredulous looks while Principal Dewalt quirked a brow, "Your occupation is paint?"

Flustered, the large dark haired man rubbed the tops of his forearms, **"Uh. Yes. Yes. I paint trucks."**

"Oh how interesting!" the woman smiled.

Uncle Hide faked a smile but his blue eyes were pleading at Will to save him. Taking the nonverbal cue the man smiled back at the woman and tapped Uncle Hide's shoulder.

"Well…um…come on Hide. Let's go pull the truck around." the man insisted following the hologram to the exit.

When they were out of earshot, Will whispered, "What is WRONG with you Hide?"

Uncle Hide gripped Will's arm, **"There's a BOY in my truck bed."** His eyes flashed with anger, **"He's PAINTING my back window!"**

Will stopped, "Painting your back window?"

The hologram's brow furrowed, irritation mounting, **"And **_**now**_** he's putting something under my windshield wiper!" **Uncle Hide suddenly made a break for the door, **"The little Retro-rat is getting away!"**

Will chased after the irate hologram of Ironhide as he flung the doors open to catch the miscreant. Uncle Hide halted outside the auditorium, sensors scanning the parking lot. He caught a "glimpse" of him running into the side door of the auditorium.

"**Oh, you'd BETTER run you little vandal!"** Ironhide growled under his vocalizer and sent his hologram after him.

"Hide! Wait! Don't hurt the boy!" Will pleaded, chasing as well.

It didn't take long for Uncle Hide to reach the door, fling it open, and bump right into Annabelle.

She staggered back with surprise, "Uncle Hide! What are you doing back here?"

"**Oh. Uh. Hello Annabelle."** he greeted though distracted, **"Did you see a human boy come running through here?"**

The young woman stared back down the hallway that led backstage, "I saw Paul, one of our stagehands. Why?"

Uncle Hide tried to move forward but Annabelle put a hand on his chest noting the expression of resentment on her "uncle's" face.

"_Why_, Uncle Hide?" her voice got serious as Will came up behind them both.

Slitting his scarred eye menacingly, Uncle Hide pointed down the hall, **"That BOY vandalized me!"**

"Vandalized you?"

"**YES! He painted my back window and stuck some kind of flower under my windshield wiper!"** the hologram ranted, still trying to go after the boy.

Annabelle boldly kept pushing him back, "Can I see first before your temper goes flying off half-cocked?"

The big man gave a deadly glance down the hall, **"OH…if I catch him my cannons will be FULLY cocked!"**

"Easy, Hide." Will helped pull the steamed hologram back out of the building. "Let's go check the damage. THEN we'll act."

Though Ironhide could redirect his hologram away from both of them and place it anywhere in the building he complied with Annabelle and Will's request.

He growled, **"Fine."**

Quickly he shut off his hologram as the two humans made their way out to the parking lot to see the damages. When they arrived they circled around and climbed up on the high set bumper. Ironhide just knew they'd be as outraged as he was for the inexcusable act.

He was wrong.

Annabelle was smiling and so was Will.

"**What in the blue frag are you smiling about?"** Ironhide muttered in a quiet yet furious voice. **"You think this is **_**funny?**_**"**

"No." Annabelle gushed, "It's so sweet."

"**SWEET?! My windows have been vandalized and you think it's **_**sweet**_**?"** Ironhide tried to keep his voice quiet but was finding his outrage difficult to contain.

"Shh!" Annabelle was still smiling, "It's just car window paint Ironhide. It washes off with water."

Will read the writing aloud, "_Encore Fair Belle_."

Quickly, Annabelle moved over to the front of the Topkick and stood on the metal step to look at the windshield. She gasped.

"**SEE! See what else that glitch…"** Ironhide quietly defended his case.

"He gave me a rose! How beautiful!" the girl exclaimed with joy.

"…**did."** the truck finished, realizing he'd lost this battle for vengeance.

Annabelle held up the yellow rose. Her face flushed as she smelled the flower, her smile broadening. Will, meanwhile, leaned against Ironhide's side panel and patted it.

"Seems Annabelle's got an admirer."

Ironhide was still torqued and kept quiet, muttering silent threats in Cybertronian.

"That was SO nice of Paul. He's such a sweet friend." Annabelle mentioned, still doting on the flower present.

The Topkick continued to stew. A flower and a painted note. What was he, a billboard? Well…at least it was washable.

"**I expect this **_**paint**_** to be off by the time we reach home."** the Topkick groused.

The young woman smirked, "Yes of course, Uncle Hide."

Ironhide submitted to the fact that there would be no revenge on the boy…at least not for now.

…….

_Present…_

Ironhide continued his unwavering sensor "stare" in the boy's direction. Ever since the night of the "painting" Ironhide had kept a careful watch on this "Paul" boy. The boy seemed quite enamored with young Annabelle…something he didn't like.

"So…you want to go see a movie tonight?" the boy asked nervously. "I hear the drive-in is playing some old horror films for cheap."

Annabelle shifted on her feet, smiling, "What time?"

"Oh, I'll still be in town. I guess we can just meet there at 6:45 for the 7:00 shows." he offered.

"Ok. I'd love to." the young blonde smiled.

Paul smiled, "You don't mind if we used your truck? My motorcycle wouldn't be the most comfortable."

Annabelle seemed to develop a worried expression, her eyes leaning to the right.

"Well…it's all right if you can't. I just thought we could see better from that big truck." the young man offered, noticing her look.

After a moment she flipped her hand, "No, it's all right. We'd probably fall over trying to sit on your motorcycle anyway."

"Meet you there at 6:45 then?" the boy seemed excited.

"Count on it."

Putting on his helmet, Paul revved his bike's engine to show off, popped a wheelie, and drove off. Annabelle shook her head with a laugh as she made her way to Ironhide.

When she got in she tapped his steering wheel, "I suppose you heard all that Mr. Sensitive Audio Sensors?"

"**Yes."** he grunted curtly.

Tapping her hands thoughtfully against his seat she asked, "If I take you tonight will you PROMISE to behave?"

There was a long pause before Ironhide replied, **"I'll wait to see how HE behaves before I promise anything."**

"Hey! You be nice to Paul! He's not like those other boys." Annabelle protested.

"**I don't see any difference."** the truck grumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Annabelle buckled herself in, "Are you STILL mad about the window paint?"

Ironhide's silence spoke volumes.

"Let it _go_ you stubborn tank." Annabelle sighed with frustration. "He didn't hurt you."

"**He insulted me."** the mech's deep voice vibrated through the vents.

Annabelle groaned, "He didn't KNOW you weren't JUST a truck. I'm sure if he knew he wouldn't have done it. We paint messages on each other's windows. It's no big deal."

"**I don't like him." **came the short reply.

"Well _I_ do." the young woman snipped. "And I'm going on a date with him tonight whether you like it or not."

…….

_Later that night…_

With heavy prompting from Annabelle, Ironhide took her to the drive-in movie to meet Paul. On his motorcycle the boy followed the truck closely, paid for the parking space, and together they found a suitable spot to watch the movie.

Annabelle leaned out the driver's side window and joked, "Come on in. I've got some 'balcony' seats for us."

Paul parked his motorcycle and marched around to the passenger side. He reached up for the door but it wouldn't budge.

He smirked, "Ha, ha Belle. Very funny."

Again he tried but still the truck door refused to open. Annabelle tapped the steering wheel harshly.

"Ironhide, let him in." she whispered.

The Autobot waited a moment. Paul tried pulling the door again and without warning it flung open, sending him falling to the ground on his back.

Annabelle gasped, "Paul! Are you ok?"

"Geez!" Paul groaned brushing himself off, "That's one stubborn door."

Ironhide smirked to himself as Paul climbed up inside and shut the door.

He shifted in his seat and commented, "These seats are really comfy."

Annabelle seemed to be glaring at the dashboard but she quickly turned with a smile, "Yeah, they are."

"Wow. Your uncle must trust you A LOT to drive this bruiser around. I'll bet it cost a fortune!" Paul stated, glancing around the more than spacious interior.

The girl shrugged, playing along with Paul's idea that the truck was JUST a truck, "Daddy and Uncle Hide share it. So I get to drive it whenever."

"Isn't your dad in the military?" Paul asked a bit nervous.

Annabelle nodded, "Yeah. But he's not all gung ho like you might think. He's really nice. You'll have to meet him when he gets back from Drill."

The dark haired boy nodded, visibly nervous at the prospect. Dads in the military or the police force were always the most intimidating to deal with when meeting new girls—not that he'd dated too many.

Ironhide immediately sensed the fear and his internal smirk deepened. If this boy was scared of Will he had little hope of surviving a meeting with him.

Soon the movie started; "The Shining" as the title read. Ironhide paid little mind to the screen, but kept close tabs on the couple inside his cab. On the screen, Jack Nicholson was beginning to lose his mind, contorting his face into some terrifying grimaces as the madness consumed him. Annabelle cringed, her heart beginning to race. Apparently the movie was making her anxiety rise. Paul saw her reaction and reached across the middle console where her hand rested.

_**HEY.**_

Suddenly, Paul's seat bucked backward until it was tilted all the way back.

"WOAH!" he cried out, legs in the air.

Annabelle jumped, hand to her chest. The movement coupled with the movie startled her.

"Are you ok?" she asked with concern.

Floundering in his awkward position, Paul groped for the seat release. When he lightly touched the small lever he was instantly catapulted forward, almost hitting the dashboard.

"Geez! That was crazy. Maybe the spring is broken in this seat?" Paul surmised, glancing around the base.

_**Oh I'll show you **__**broken**__** if you try to grope Annabelle, boy.**_

"No. No. It just does that sometimes. Too much grease." Annabelle lied, knowing full well the cause. "Hey, why don't we sit on the hood together? The view would probably be better."

_**What? **_

Paul shrugged, "Ok." he started to climb out and noticed Annabelle glaring at the dashboard again. "Something wrong Belle?"

"Oh, no. No. I…I thought I saw a smudge. My Uncle is a real stickler about keeping his truck clean." the girl lied again.

Seeming satisfied with her answer the young man jumped out, closing the door.

"That was mean, Ironhide!" Annabelle angrily hissed at the dashboard.

He didn't respond, still focusing on Paul outside.

"You behave yourself or I'll NEVER take you to one of my dates again!" she threatened, jumping out herself.

_**I'd like to see you keep me away. **_

Paul waited for Annabelle to come to the tailgate. Gentlemanly he held out a hand, bowing dramatically with a smirk, "Me lady."

Curtseying in equal dramatic fashion Annabelle laughed as he took her hand and helped her up into the tall truck bed. Together the two climbed over the cab top and slid down onto the windshield and hood. Ironhide grumbled to himself, not enjoying the treatment so much. Annabelle promptly clasped Paul's hand and they leaned together, watching the movie. Ironhide let it slide. It was Annabelle who made the move, not the boy. He trusted her. But…that boy better not try anything.

Soon the key moment of the movie rolled, Jack Nicholson bashing in the door with and axe and dementedly announcing, "Here's Johnny!" Annabelle snickered quietly and wiggled in closer to Paul.

"Man, he's scary!" she whispered.

Paul just smirked and draped an arm around her shoulder. Quite suddenly, the windshield wiper on the right whipped over and smacked the boy's hand.

"OW! OW!" he yelped, withdrawing his hand.

Annabelle leaned forward with concern, "What happened?"

Paul shook his head not knowing what to think, "The crazy windshield wiper hit me!"

Mortification filled Annabelle but she tried to mask it with disbelief, "I'm sorry. That's just weird."

"I get the funny feeling your truck doesn't like me." Paul laughed jokingly.

_**Oh you have no idea boy.**_

Annabelle smiled falsely, eyeing the hood secretly, "Oh, don't be silly." Gently, she took his red hand and gave it a light kiss, "There. Feel better?"

"Sure." he smiled. "Thanks."

Taking his arm, Annabelle curtly draped it around her shoulder and snuggled in closer to him. When the movie finally ended the pair slid off the hood, Paul catching Annabelle about the waist. A minor movement under the hood triggered Annabelle to strategically place her body between Paul and the looming grill, not trusting Ironhide not to try something else.

_**Lucky boy.**_

"That was fun Paul. I had a really nice time with you tonight." Annabelle mentioned softly.

"Me too Belle. Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

The young lady nodded, giving him a hug which he returned. They pulled apart, waved, Paul got on his motorcycle, and he drove away. Annabelle kept her smiled until he left. Promptly her smile turned into a dangerous glare at the _Topkick's_ grill. Gritting her teeth, she moved around to the driver's side and climbed in. She crossed her arms and leaned hard into the seat, refusing to look at anything except out the window.

"**Glad that's over with."** Ironhide mentioned.

Annabelle expelled angry air from her nose, "I can't BELIEVE you!"

"**What?"** the disbelieving voice rumbled.

"Don't you DARE ask me 'what?'! You were nothing but a big bully to poor Paul the whole night!" Annabelle all but shouted at the dashboard.

"**He deserved it."**

The young blonde venomously glared at the window, "NO he didn't! You were just being mean!" she shook her head, "I'd be surprised if we ever go out on a date again."

"**And that's a **_**bad**_** thing?"**

Annabelle made a fist and hit the dashboard hard, "You are such a jerk!"

Without much warning, she thrust open the door and hopped out, storming through the rows of cars that were slowly trickling out of the drive-in. Ironhide was still boxed in and couldn't move. He wanted to shout out at her but knew he couldn't in such company. Thinking quickly he activated her cell phone which rang its tune. She looked at the screen instinctually as she marched off.

The text read, _Where are you going? –Iron H_

Not caring if she looked crazy she turned around and shouted back at the truck, "HOME!"

Her phone scrolled more text, _I can take you home! Why are you walking?_

She ignored the text and kept walking until she was completely out of the drive-in and on the long walk home. Her phone rang again and again, but she ignored the constant texts.

Ironhide was about to start a demolition derby, watching Annabelle walking farther and farther away from him and having no way of reaching her without revealing himself or hurting someone. Why was she so mad at him? He was just protecting her. Why did she even like this Paul boy? He wasn't any different than any other boy. Didn't she realize she was too good for him?

……

_About an hour later… _

Annabelle kept walking with fierce spite radiating off her skin. It took Ironhide nearly fifteen minutes to make his way out of the drive-in and less than a minute to catch up with her. But she kept walking for well over forty minutes, refusing to look at the big black truck rolling quietly behind her like a heart-stung puppy.

Finally she shouted over her shoulder, "Go home, Ironhide!"

"**I'm not going to leave you out here."** he replied.

She walked faster, swinging her arms at a faster pace. Shifting right the black truck sped up and moved in front of her to bar her path.

"**Hey! I was just protecting you."** he protested.

The girl stopped a frustrated smile creased her face as she flung up her arms, "From what? From Paul holding my hand? From having simple human contact?"

Ironhide was silent.

"I mean, don't you trust me at ALL?" her eyes moistened.

"**With all my Spark, Annabelle."**

She wiped the corners of her eyes briefly, "Well then TRUST me. If Paul did something I wasn't comfortable with I would stop him MYSELF. I don't need this iron bubble around me!" she made a wide round gesture with both her hands.

There was a long silence.

The _Topkick_ seemed to sink down a bit on its shocks, **"I… **_**Sigh**_** Forgive me Annabelle. I shouldn't have doubted your own ability to look out for yourself."**

After a moment Annabelle expelled some air and lightly patted the front of the truck, "I forgive you." She smirked, "Believe me, if I need your help I'll let you know."

"**And I'll be there."** he affirmed, opening his door.

Submitting, the girl climbed in and buckled herself.

Ironhide began driving and Annabelle thoughtfully tapped his steering wheel, "I don't suppose you like Paul anymore than before?"

The grating voice grumbled, **"Nope."**

_**A/N: And thus the rivalry of Ironhide vs. Paul begins!**_

_**I've been asked how long this story is going to be…well I don't know. But I can bet it won't exceed 10 chapters. It just depends on how many wild, charged up situations I can throw at this poor boy.**_


	4. Age 19: A Kiss and Graduation

Boys, Meet my Truck

_**A/N: I've been asked about Ironhide and Annabelle's relationship. It is STRICTLY a familial relationship (Uncle/Niece). Just to be clear if anyone was looking at Ironhide's behavior as that of a jealous boyfriend. It's just the "protective father" scenario.**_

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 19: A Kiss and Graduation"**

**By Leah Wood**

_A couple weeks before graduation…_

A honking outside in the Lennox's driveway instantly made Will gather up the two big suitcases.

"There's our ride." he announced, making his way to the door.

Sara threw one last item in her purse and gathered up the smaller bags and all of the hanging outfits for the trip while Annabelle helped her.

"Our numbers are on the fridge and we left you some checks just in case. Don't go too nuts." Sara explained, heading for the door.

The young woman smirked sarcastically, "Aww, and I wanted to buy a yacht while you and daddy were gone!"

Will and Sara had been invited to a big military gala at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas to commemorate the soldiers sent overseas. Mostly it was a formal reunion the military hosted to talk, wine, and dine with the big wigs of the government—a real honor. Will was only excited about seeing his comrades in arms again in a non-business setting and Sara was going to support Will. As for Annabelle, she opted to stay home since she wasn't so keen on spending nearly two days with a bunch of high-roller, government types she didn't know and being under 21 in Las Vegas was like being too short at a theme park—no fun at all.

"We'll be back in a couple days." Sara continued, stuffing the rest of the bags and clothes in the transport vehicle the military sent.

Both Will and Sara hugged their daughter, "Be safe."

She laughed and said quietly, "With Ironhide here? I'm safer than any teen on this planet."

Sara smiled, "Unless Ironhide takes you, we'd prefer it if you'd stay home while we're gone. Ok?"

"Ok." the teen consented. With her charm and methods of persuasion she could probably get Ironhide to take her to the edge of the galaxy if she wanted to.

After a few good-byes the family separated, leaving Annabelle on the farm with Ironhide parked in front of the garage.

The teen patted the side panel of the truck, "Guess it's just you and me big guy."

….

_Later that night…_

Annabelle was up in her room watching a movie on the new TV her grandparents had sent her as a graduation gift. Technically it was for when she went to college in the fall but having a TV in her room was a new luxury she'd never had before. As she lost herself in the movie she heard the faint sound of an engine approaching. At first her mind thought Ironhide, but it wasn't deep enough or loud enough to be her guardian. Last she knew he had retired to his building to clean his cannons or something like that.

Annabelle paused the DVD and stared out her window on the second story. A single light was coming up the road and she smiled. It was Paul on his motorcycle. For the past few months they'd gone out on quite a few dates and developed a brand new boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Annabelle wasn't sure how serious it was but Paul did spend a lot of time with her but they still hadn't kissed.

Her smile suddenly faded. If SHE could hear Paul's motorcycle, Ironhide could definitely hear it. She opened the window and poked her head out, scanning the farmyard. No sign of her black guardian. Maybe he was in recharge and couldn't hear it. Ironhide could sometimes be difficult to "wake" when he was recharging. Annabelle hoped that was the case.

Paul pulled up to the driveway fence and waved up at Annabelle, "Hey Belle! What's happening?"

The young woman waved back, "Just holding down the fort. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged kicking down his kickstand and pulling off his helmet, "It's the weekend and I thought I'd come visit you."

"It's 11:20." Annabelle mentioned.

"Will I wake your folks?" he lowered his voice a bit.

She shook her head, "Actually they're on a trip. It's just me."

"Oh. I see. Planning any wild parties before graduation?" he joked, showing off his dimples.

Annabelle shook her head with a whimsical smile, "Not really. Afterwards, maybe." She leaned on the window sill, "I baked some cookies earlier, want to sit on the porch and have some?"

Nodding eagerly, Paul removed his helmet and dismounted his bike. Before long the couple was on the front porch swing munching on some sugar cookies.

"These are really good, Belle." Paul commented through a mouthful of soft cookie.

"Thanks. They're my grandma's recipe."

He smirked, "They're almost as sweet as you."

Annabelle felt herself blush but snorted, "Man, that's cheesy."

"Yeah I know. But hey, cheese is good in small doses." he shrugged comically.

The young woman laughed quietly and took another cookie. She held it up, staring at Paul. Slowly she leaned over and held the treat near his mouth with an encouraging smile. Showing his dimples again he gently bit the edge of the cookie, chewing slowly while staring at her. Before she could react, Paul leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips. She froze, blushing.

"These are _really_ good cookies." he replied.

She playfully swatted his shoulder, "You sneak."

Annabelle stiffened when a flicker of light caught her eye near Ironhide's shed. Looming around the corner of the building was a big dark shadow and one big glowing cannon.

Paul's face obliviously scrunched with confusion at the girl's change in expression, "What?"

Just as the boy turned to look, the dark shadow darted behind the building, taking the light with it. Paul squinted, his shoulders hunching forward.

"Did you see that?" he asked his voice almost scared.

_Of course she did. _

"What are you talking about?" Annabelle lied convincingly.

Paul stood up and jumped off the porch, taking a step in the direction of the shed, "I could've sworn I saw something move behind that shed."

"Stop trying to scare me Paul."

"I'm not! Honest! I seriously saw something over behind that shed." the young man protested, taking another step through the gate.

Annabelle stood up too, trying to come up with a way to distract him, "It was probably just a coyote or something."

But Paul's curiosity could not be deterred, "Hang on. I'll be right back."

Briskly, he trotted across the farmyard, almost sneaking toward the shed.

"Paul! Paul don't!" Annabelle objected, fear in her voice.

He turned back calling, "Don't worry, Belle. If it's a coyote I'll scare it away."

Annabelle jumped off the porch, "Paul!" But it was too late as Paul was already slinking around the shed wall. She held her breath.

"Oh, crap."

…

Paul peeked around the dark corner of the shed, his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. He saw a sleek dark form in front of him and he paused, trying to ascertain what it was. Quite suddenly a blindening light exploded in his vision and he held up a hand to shield his eyes. Through the glaring light he made out the two headlights and the red GMC logo nested in the center of a high set grill. Paul recognized the black Topkick instantly but didn't know who was behind the wheel. The engine roared to life with all the growling potency a diesel engine could produce. Black smoke puffed briefly from the chrome smokestacks. Paul stepped back and quite suddenly the big black truck lunged forward, revving its engine.

"SHIT!" Paul cried, scrambling around the shed.

…

Annabelle's jaw dropped open in shock as Paul came tearing around the shed and across the farmyard, Ironhide in hot pursuit. The big truck spun its tires and revved its engine loudly, but it truthfully wasn't moving very fast. Not like Paul who flew across the ground and finally bailed over the front yard fence like a solider diving in a foxhole. The black truck ceased its intimidating chase and calmly skidded to a halt in the driveway. Paul gasped for breath a second and peaked over the fence. The engine rumbled.

"Who? Who the Hell?" he pointed at the truck.

As if to answer his question the door popped open and out stepped the big man Paul had only seen from a distance—Annabelle's Uncle Hide.

"**What's the matter boy? You scared?"** the man asked with a deep laugh.

Paul was at a loss for words but Annabelle wasn't.

Putting her hands on her hips she scolded the pepper haired man, "Uncle Hide! That was SO mean! What are you doing here?"

Shrugging casually the big man said, **"Well your dad **_**did **_**tell me to keep an eye on you while he was away."** His glance slanted over to Paul, **"I uh…wasn't **_**aware**_** you had company."**

"Paul, this is Uncle Hide. He's a very close family friend." Annabelle motioned to the man despite her irritation. "He likes to drop by and scare visitors."

Nervously, Paul reached over the fence to shake his hand. Mr. Hide stared at the boy's hand a moment and eventually gripped it with measured pressure, but the hands didn't exactly shake.

Licking his dry lips, Paul managed a smile, "It's…it's good to meet you, Mr. Hide." He glanced back at the truck, "That was…that was a great scare prank."

A grin narrowed the man's blue eyes and he pulled him closer a moment uttering quietly, **"Just keep telling yourself that boy."**

Paul swallowed hard, giving a very wary stare. Mr. Hide's smile broadened and he chuckled deeply as he released the boy's hand. _Was he still joking?_ Paul wasn't quite sure.

"**I just brought the truck for you to use this weekend if you need it Annabelle."** Mr. Hide told her.

"Thanks Uncle Hide. Bye Uncle Hide." Annabelle waved, motioning for him to leave.

Nodding the man gave Paul one last smirk, **"I'll be working in the shed if you need anything."**

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Annabelle assured as the hologram climbed into the Topkick and drove it over to the shed, opened the door, and parked it inside.

Annabelle could see a tiny glisten of sweat on Paul's temple; whether it was from the running or fear she wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry about Uncle Hide, Paul. He's just overprotective is all." she apologized.

"No. No. It's ok." the boy didn't sound so confident. "I'd probably better go, it's late anyway."

Annabelle nodded, "Yeah." Slowly she followed him to his motorcycle.

Then she took his hand and turned him around. She gently gripped his shoulder and stood on her toes to give him a kiss of her own. This time they held the kiss, gently moving their lips over the others. Paul touched the side of her face and she touched his in return. After a moment they pulled away, staring at each other, skin tingling.

Paul coughed, "Um. I…I guess I'll see you later next week."

"Uh huh." the young blonde nodded almost dreamily.

After gearing up, Paul's motorcycle roared to life and sped down the road. As Annabelle watched him go she knew then and there that there was something between them, something she'd never had with a boy before. Her lips were still crackling. It was the first really nice kiss she'd been given.

For an instant she wanted to tell him the secret about her black truck, but she knew she couldn't. It was the family secret, a secret too big to share voluntarily with a new boyfriend. Besides, she'd made the promise to Ironhide and the other Autobots to keep their secret unless they gave explicit permission to do so.

Marching out to Ironhide's shed, Annabelle opened the door to see him sitting at his work station, forever meddling with his cannons. Annabelle bet he spent half of his existence cleaning and adjusting those monsters.

He propped one of his elbows on the work ledge and gave her a look.

"You just don't know how to be nice do you?" Annabelle shook her head and crossed her arms.

"**And **_**he**_** doesn't know how to ask a femme if she wants to mouth interface or not."** he replied.

Annabelle burst out a laugh, "Kissing, Ironhide! It's called kissing." She raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, "Didn't YOU ever steal a kiss from a girl Autobot?"

Ironhide made a grinding noise in his chest and sat up straighter, **"WELL…I um…Cybertronians don't really kiss but…HEY! Stop changing the subject!"**

Giving an open mouthed smile, Annabelle pointed at her guardian, "You DID didn't you?"

"**Once…twice…"** he grumbled, gesturing funnily.

"Liar. You probably did it ALL the time! Fess up!" Annabelle beckoned with her hand.

He snorted, **"Hey! This isn't about me!"**

Annabelle giggled uncontrollably and then regained her composure, "Fine. Don't tell me. I'm sure Ratchet will if I ask him."

"**RATCHET IS A LIAR! He'd say anything to make me look bad!"** Ironhide thundered.

"Then I'll confirm it with Optimus. He doesn't lie." she lifted her head smugly.

Ironhide growled and drummed his fingers against his cannons, **"All right, fine. You win. I admit it."**

Annabelle leaned against the shed wall in a fit of giggles. When she finally calmed down she waved her hand scoldingly, "Then you have no right to judge Paul for stealing a kiss."

"**Did I do ANYTHING to stop him? No!"** Ironhide grumbled, leaning forward.

"You chased him across the farmyard!"

He held up a finger, **"ONLY because he was sneaking around my shed. I was merely keeping a distanced eye on the two of you, but he caught sight of me. I had to improvise."**

Annabelle tapped her foot, "You just enjoy tormenting him."

The black mech looked to the right a moment, smirking.

"Can't you give him a break?"

Ironhide rested an arm on his leg, **"That boy has yet to prove himself worthy of you. Until that time, he will be under my scrutiny."**

The young woman massaged the bridge of her nose. Maybe it was best if Paul didn't know about the real Uncle Ironhide.

…**..**

_Weeks later on Graduation day…_

A shower of blue and gold graduation caps rained across the football field coupled with a thunderous cheer of youths. Their early education was over at last! The recessional music began playing and the large student body began marching toward the end of the football field.

Mr. Hide was sitting next to Captain Will, asking question as he always did when it came to human customs and ceremonies.

"**Does Annabelle have to go to this college now that this ceremony is over?"** he asked as they waited for the newly graduated to complete their "exit".

The Captain shook his head, "Annabelle won't have to be at her college until August."

"**Ah. Does this mean you will attend the college with her?"** Ironhide inquired.

"No! No. We'll help Annabelle move up there but we'll still live at the farm." he clarified.

Mr. Hide's face scrunched with worry, **"Then…you will be separated."**

"Yeah." Will sounded sad as well.

The convincing hologram looked out at the sea of blue gowned humans, finding Annabelle, then he looked at Will again, **"But…I thought a human family stayed together."**

"It's just one of those facts of growing up. Annabelle is entering a new chapter in her life where she'll soon be completely independent of both Sara and I. Finding her own way in this world." the Captain explained.

The veteran Autobot had not foreseen this change. Annabelle wouldn't be living at the Lennox farm anymore? She would be far away at this college, preparing herself for the human workforce as a teacher of other human children. How was he going to protect her? Could he go with her to this college or should he remain and guard Will and Sara?

At last the students had left the field, ending the ceremony so family and friends could mingle and congratulate the graduates. Will and Sara moved about the crowd to find Annabelle, while Mr. Hide remained behind to think. Suddenly, Will bumped into Paul.

"So, you graduated, eh Paul?" Will eyed the young man in the blue and gold graduation gown before shaking his hand heartily. "Congratulations"

Funnily, Paul straightened his back like he was at attention, "Yes Sir."

Will smirked, "Loosen up kid I'm not going to make you drop and do twenty."

"Yes Sir." Paul relaxed.

"So what are your upcoming plans?" Will started up some conversation while Annabelle hugged her girl friends; all of them adorned in their graduation gowns.

Even though the young man had met Will a few times over the past few months the Captain still intimidated him—but he was getting better at talking.

"I'm…I'm going to get a business degree." he started, "That way I can run my own machine shop later on. But this summer I'll be working at the shop some more."

Will nodded, "Nice. Nice. Sounds like you've got a plan in life. Been accepted by a college yet?"

"Still waiting to see if I got in." Paul explained, sounding a bit down.

Clapping the boy on the shoulder, Will encouraged, "Don't worry. You're a smart kid. You'll get in."

"Thanks, Sir."

The Captain smirked, "You can drop the Sir, Paul. Just call me Mr. Lennox."

"Ok." the boy managed a smile.

At once a tall figure dressed in a black dress shirt and tie moved past Paul and Will toward Annabelle.

Meekly, Paul waved, "Hi, Mr. Hide."

The figure slowly turned, eyed the boy briefly, and grunted before focusing on Annabelle again.

The boy's hand dropped, "I don't think he likes me much."

Will snorted, "Hide doesn't trust very easily."

Paul seemed to grimace with worry but Will nudged him.

"He'll get used to you. That is, if you're still planning on seeing my daughter?"

"Oh yeah! Yeah. Of course. As long as it's ok with you Sir?"

Will shook his head with a bemused look, "Yeah. It's ok with me Paul."


	5. Age 19 and a half: Big Black Monster

Boys, Meet my Truck

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 19 ½: Big Black Monster"**

**By Leah Wood**

Annabelle leaned into the warm black metal of Ironhide's shoulder as he walked through the wooded area just north of the Lennox farm. Ever since she was a little girl, Annabelle had enjoyed the rides on Ironhide's shoulders or in his hand as he walked. It was a sensation few on Earth had ever experienced. The powerful yet gentle sway of the giant guardian's steps lulled the young woman into a sense of security and ease.

Normally Ironhide didn't say much on these walks unless she instigated a conversation, but this time he started one.

"**So…you are excited to attend this 'college'?"**

Annabelle smiled with a nod, "Yeah. Kinda nervous and kinda excited all at the same time. Mom and dad say it'll be one of the best experiences of my life."

Politely Ironhide nodded, **"Hmm. I see."**

"Do you Autobots have a form of college?" she asked curiously.

The mech shook his head, **"When I reached a particular sequence in my development I was sent off to work as a bridge builder since my earlier design was best suited for the task."**

Sitting up straighter Annabelle turned her head, "You built bridges? You never told me that!"

His bright optics directed at her,** "Yeah, well…it was short-lived since the Decepticons made it a habit of blowing up my bridges. From then on I was reformatted and trained to be an Autobot soldier."**

Annabelle frowned just slightly. The war between Autobots and Decepticons had lasted so long it was unfathomable to her short grasp of life. Ironhide didn't have much of a choice like she did when it came to a career.

"Do you ever miss building bridges?" she asked innocently.

He shrugged, making her shift a bit, **"Sometimes I suppose."** then he smirked, **"But I love being a weapons specialist. I think deep down it's what I was always meant to be."**

The young woman patted the stylized gear on the size of his face, "Well you're really good at it."

"**Thank you."**

"Have you…decided yet?" Annabelle inquired.

Knowing she meant whether he was staying on the Lennox farm or going to college with her, Ironhide expelled air from his vents. **"I have given it a lot of thought."**

"And?" she prompted when he paused.

Very gently, he reached over with his opposite hand and plucked her off of his shoulder to hold her in his hands. His blue optics flickered a moment as he stared at her. Annabelle hadn't seen that expression since he rescued her and her mother from the Decepticons.

"**I...I will remain here with your parents."** he finally said.

Annabelle seemed shocked. She honestly thought Ironhide would insist on going along with her.

He continued, **"Sara told me going to college teaches young humans to be independent of their parents and make their own way in this world. I believe my presence would hinder this 'growth'."**

The corner of the girl's mouth twitched with some disappointment, but then again she could see what he meant. It would be like having her dad live outside her dorm or apartment.

"I understand." she heartily patted his finger, "You'll come visit me right?"

The black mech smiled and she smiled back, both knowing the answer.

….

_Many months later…the second week of December…_

A light sheet of snow had fallen on the Lennox farm; barely an inch deep. Christmas break had begun ending Annabelle's first semester at college. From her emails and phone calls she told how she'd endured the heavy load of finals and she was on her way home for a whole month of Christmas vacation. Naturally this caused a great stir on the Lennox farm in preparation for Annabelle's visit.

Sara and Will were in the process of cleaning up the house and getting Annabelle's vacant room prepared for her while Ironhide was assigned the unenviable task of hanging the Christmas lights. After all, he didn't need a ladder and Will had already untangled the massive clump of wires for him.

Over the past two decades with the Lennoxes, Ironhide had learned all about each of their human holidays and the customs and traditions associated with them. Some he liked, but Christmas wasn't one of his favorites. The concept of giving and receiving gifts was not something he had ever grown used to. Of course the Lennoxes never expected _him_ to give them gifts, but despite his adamant protests they always got _him_ something for Christmas. Nor did he enjoy all the decorating, and most of all the endless processor-numbing carols on the radio waves. Sara had often accused him of being a Grinch or a Scrooge (something he only understood after several searches on the internet). She, for one, loved the holiday.

The ONLY thing Ironhide liked about Christmas now was that Annabelle was coming home. Due to Annabelle's busy schedule he had only been able to visit her twice, but they emailed each other nearly every day. So Ironhide was very eager to see her.

With a careful hand he hung the last strand of lights over the top-most eave. He did a quick scan of each colorful bulb's filament to make sure the string would light. The first time he'd hung Christmas lights he'd nearly blown a logic circuit trying to figure out why the lights wouldn't activate. Why Sara and Will didn't buy more efficient Christmas lights he'd never know.

Gently he tapped the side of the house, **"Done. Give it a try."**

After a few moments, Will plugged in the cord and flipped the switch. The house lit up with bright balls of cheery color. Sara, despite the cold, opened one of the windows to peek at the house. She gave Ironhide a thumbs-up.

"It's beautiful Ironhide." she smiled, "You always do such a good job."

The old Autobot shrugged his paneled shoulders. He glanced out over the horizon down the dirt road, **"When will Annabelle be here?"**

The woman smirked pragmatically, "She'll be here when she gets here."

Ironhide gave her an unamused grunt.

"I know you're excited to see her. We all are." the woman began to close the window but stopped, "Oh, just so you know, I've invited Paul to join us for dinner on Christmas Eve."

The black mech opened his mouth to say something but the woman wisely shut the window. Ironhide grumbled to himself, pointing at the house as if he wanted to argue the matter even without Sara listening.

_**That boy.**_

It was almost too much for Ironhide to deal with when he heard Paul had been accepted to the same college as Annabelle. Though _she_ never told him directly, he knew from a few stray calls between Sara and Annabelle that their relationship was indeed progressing.

But he constantly repeated his personal Annabelle/Paul mantra, _**"Annabelle is smart. Annabelle can take care of herself. If Annabelle needs you she'll call you. Don't shoot at the boy. Don't shoot at the boy."**_

…

"How'd he take it?" Will asked stealing a glance out the window at a pacing Ironhide.

"Oh… the usual way Ironhide takes news of Paul." Sara shook her head wearily as she dug into a pile of clean laundry.

Will grimaced, sucking in air, "I dread the day poor Paul figures out our little family secret."

His wife folded a towel with a sigh, "If Ironhide decides trust him it will happen."

"Yeah" the Captain clicked his tongue, "That'll be a cold day in Hell."

…

_Mid-evening…_

Annabelle arrived in her black Impala, weighed down with a month's worth of clothes and other necessities for her visit. After greeting her family and taking all her belongings up to her room, the whole family retreated out to Ironhide's shed for a cup of Christmas cocoa and a long chat. Ironhide settled for a barrel of heated 40 wt mixed with a hefty ten gallons of high grade Energon; his own brand of Cybertronian eggnog. The humans sat in the old comfy chairs of the loft while Ironhide settled into his own work seat. For well over an hour they all talked and listened to what Annabelle had been up to at college. Then they began to reminisce.

Annabelle started giggling to herself, "Do you remember the Christmas we had when I was five?"

Sara threw her head back a bit and laughed, "The year we told you about Santa and Ironhide overheard?"

The big black Autobot groaned irritably, **"Do I have to relive this AGAIN?"**

"But it was SO funny!" Annabelle protested, her giggling increasing, "You were bound and determined to make sure NO ONE landed on our roof and got into our house."

Ironhide darkened his optics, resting his chin in his hand. _**EVERY Christmas they brought this up**_—another reason to hate the season.

Sara waved her hand to continue, "He stayed outside all night waiting for Santa to land on our roof."

"Man, were you confused when Annabelle showed you what she got from Santa." Will chuckled at the Autobot from behind his mug. "You didn't know how the Hell Santa had gotten past you!"

"**For the hundredth time I was protecting you and your home and you all made it into a big joke!"** Ironhide grumbled sourly.

Annabelle covered her mouth, tears beginning to form in her eyes from her laughing fit, "Then the next year you set up infrared lasers around the farm to detect Santa! _Ha! Ha!_"

The Autobot veteran was clearly unamused, but the humans were having a good laugh at his expense.

"You were SO pissed off the third year when mom finally told you… _Santa was made up!_" the young woman was gasping for breath between her giggles.

Sara shook her head laughing, "I was just afraid he's start shooting anything that moved if I didn't tell him."

Ironhide growled sarcastically** "Heh heh heh…very funny."**

After a good long laugh and few more stories the family finally decided to call it a night. Annabelle hugged both of her parents good night.

When Annabelle reached the bottom of the loft stairs she looked up at her guardian who had stood up, "Ironhide?"

"**Hmm?"**

"Could you put me to bed—for old time's sake?" she smiled.

Ironhide let himself smile back, **"You haven't asked for that since you were eleven."**

"I miss it." she admitted.

He nodded and laid his hand on the floor. The young woman stepped up into it and took a comfortable seat in his palm. Ironhide gingerly walked the cold few steps to the house and moved to the backside where Annabelle's room was on the second story. He held her up to the window and Annabelle crawled to the edge of his hand, unclasping the latch to open the window. Then she sat on her bottom again and waited. Ironhide tipped his hand and she slid inside right onto her bed.

She laughed pleasantly and turned to him, "Thank you Ironhide."

"**I am glad you're home."** he said in a low voice.

"I'm glad to be home. Good night."

Ironhide dipped his head, **"Good night." **Quietly, he walked back to his shed.

….

_Christmas Eve…_

Paul had spent all day with Annabelle and her parents, chatting, eating, and sledding behind the family's four-wheeler. The day had been a wonderful opportunity for Paul to get to know his girlfriend's parents more in-depth and spend time with his girl as well. However, right after the family supper the sky began dropping a thick coat of snow.

Will shook his head as he glanced out the window, "Looks like an assured white Christmas."

Sara joined him at the window and then turned to Paul, "I think you'd better call your folks and tell them you'll be staying here tonight."

"Stay? Me?" Paul asked.

"We can't send you off driving in this. It's too dangerous." Will concurred. "We've got a guest bed in the basement."

Paul assessed the weather outside as well, "Well…if you're offering, I guess I can stay."

"Good. I'll go get it ready for you." Sara stated, moving off to the basement stairs. "Come on Annabelle."

Following her mother, Annabelle trotted off to help just as the phone rang, leaving Will to answer it.

As he peered out the window Paul scrunched his brow with worry, "Um…would you mind if I got my car out of this?"

Paul had arrived in his custom-built Mustang GT, his personal project since high school now finished. With a slick blue paint job and custom interior it was truly a car to be proud of; not something to be neglected out in the snow.

Distracted by the phone call Will merely nodded and waved him away. The young man snatched his coat and cupped his keys in hand. He glanced across the farmyard and decided the shed was the only proper place to place his car since the house garage was no doubt already occupied. Once he climbed into the frigid leather interior of his Mustang and started it was a classic V8 roar, Paul slowly drove up to the huge shed and then climbed out to find the handle or switch to open the shed door. His headlights flickering against the falling snowflakes, Paul searched the edifice but found no noticeable device to open the door. Then he noticed the standard sized door a few yards down and decided the door opening button must be inside.

…

Will was still on the phone talking when Sara called up, "Paul! Do you need more than two blankets?"

"He's out putting his car away." Will covered the receiver to inform her.

There was a pause.

"_Where_ is he putting his car?" Annabelle inquired.

Not really paying attention Will replied, "Out in the shed I guess."

"THE SHED!?" both women suddenly thundered up the stairs.

….

Paul entered the dark interior of the large metal shed groping for a light switch. He smiled to himself, thinking how nice it was of Annabelle's parents to offer him a bed for the night just to keep him from driving home in this weather. They seemed like very nice parents and he was even getting used to the fact that Mr. Lennox was an Army Captain. He certainly was glad they accepted him so readily considering his feelings for Annabelle.

The young man continued his blind fumblings, noticing that without the use of his eyes his other senses at once became finely tuned. His ears suddenly detected a faint mechanical noise farther inside the building. He paused. Cautious, he took a tentative step away from the wall.

And then…he saw it.

….

Just as Will hung up the phone, a muffled scream from outside made him suddenly realize what he'd done. Through the window they saw Paul explode out of the shed door, slipping and sliding as he scrambled across the farmyard to the house. Barely even touching the gate or the porch, the young dark haired boy threw open the front door and slammed it behind him, resting his back against it.

"Paul! What's wrong?" Will asked, though he knew full well what had sent the young man into this panic.

Gasping for breath he pointed doggedly, "Out…out in the shed…big…BIG…glowing blue eyes…HUGE!"

Feigning shock the Captain blinked, "What are you talking about?"

"Paul!" Annabelle came rushing past Will, "Are you all right? What's wrong?"

"Monster…BIG monster in the shed!" Paul continued his frenetic ramble.

There was a brief silence. The Lennoxes didn't know what to do for the moment. Should they just tell him? Or should they continue the façade?

Paul glanced at their faces, assuming they didn't believe him, "I'm not kidding!"

Will nodded, "All right Paul. Let's go have a look." He grabbed his coat.

The Captain knew if Ironhide truly wanted Paul to meet him he's still be in his robot mode when they came out, but if not and this was an accidental sighting they'd see the Topkick. Together the two marched out to the shed, Paul keeping a nervous eye on the foreboding building. Like it was the most natural action in the world, Will stepped inside the open door and found the light switch. The huge interior lit up revealing the big black Topkick passively sitting on the concrete floor.

He shrugged as Paul warily creeped in after him, "There's nothing here, Paul— just the truck and the loft."

Flabbergasted the boy moved farther in sputtering, "But…but…those glowing eyes…they moved…"

"Probably just _your_ eyes playing tricks on you in the dark." Will offered.

Thoroughly embarrassed the young man sighed, "I'm sorry Mr. Lennox. I was SURE I saw something."

"It's ok." the man clapped the boy on the shoulder, "Here, I'll open the door for you so you can park you car."

Nodding dumbly, Paul moved outside still befuddled. Will gave the truck a shake of the head before opening the larger door. It only took a few spare minutes to get Paul's car parked and the garage secured once again and together the two men went back to the house.

….

Out in the shed Ironhide couldn't believe he let himself be snuck up on like that! He'd heard the boy's car engine but for some reason it didn't register that he was coming into HIS shed. With no time to transform without being heard, his last ditch effort was to shut off all the lights and hope the boy wouldn't see him. But, it was a stupid idea and before he knew it the boy was screaming and running for his life.

Ironhide felt the brief panic of being discovered, but suddenly it was replaced with a deliciously mischievous idea. The Lennoxes weren't going to tell Paul the secret so why not have a little fun with the boy? The weapons specialist snickered to himself like a naughty sparkling, relishing the psychological mischief he would wreak on the boy.

_**A/N: And mischief there shall be! Stay tuned!**_


	6. Age 19 and a half: Going Crazy

Boys, Meet my Truck

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Age 19 ½: Going Crazy"**

_The following morning…_

It was, to coin the song, a "silent night" at the Lennox house as the snow fell continually throughout the night. The same couldn't be said for Christmas morning.

Paul was up early; sleeping in a strange bed didn't allot him much sleep so he opted to go out early and get his car ready for the trip to his own parents' house. Whistling quietly and creating small puffs of breath in the icy air the dark-haired man tromped out to the Lennox's huge metal shed. The door creaked as he opened it and found the light switch. He walked in but stopped, brow furrowed.

His car was parked at the back of the shed and the Lennox's Topkick was inexplicably parked behind it. He parked BESIDE that truck last night_…didn't he?_

"Weird." he whispered, moseying over to his car and popping the hood.

Leaning over the prized engine, Paul began to check his oil levels—all good. After a brief inspection of his car he slammed the hood and jumped when he saw the Topkick only a few inches away from his rear bumper. Paul's jaw fell open minutely as he pointed from the black truck to his Mustang.

"_It wasn't that close before…"_ he thought eerily. _"Well…maybe Mr. Lennox left it in neutral?"_ he surmised.

Taking initiative, Paul walked around to the driver's side of the massive truck and opened the door to climb in. The dial read P…not N. Giving the dashboard a wary look Paul shook his head and turned over the engine, which growled deeply. Slowly he backed the black beast a safe distance from his car and then turned it off. Satisfied with the move, the young man jumped down and slammed the door shut.

The instant the door clicked shut, Paul shouted in horror as the Topkick violently rolled onto its side and then onto its top with a deafening bang. Paul's mouth and eyes were wide with sickened dismay. His hands flew to his head as he gaped openly at the massive truck lying on its top. Then he looked at his hand like it wasn't part of his body.

"OOOOOH…WHAT? What in the…OOOOOH SHIT!" he moaned beginning to pace the floor.

What just happened? He JUST shut the door for God's sake and it flipped over! A friggin' tank couldn't roll that truck! His stomach churned, almost threatening to spew its meager contents. HOW was he going to explain this to Mr. Lennox? He'd NEVER believe him. He'd wrecked his girlfriend's dad's truck…shutting the door. The boy wiped his face, clenching his hair. For a second he couldn't breathe so he went outside, stinging his lungs with the crisp winter air. The sweat on his brow hardened as he mentally bemoaned his utterly screwed state.

_Mr. Lennox was going to kill him. Probably shoot him._

He stared at the Lennox house, dreading a return to confess his crime. Sick to his stomach he opened the door and rushed back inside the garage. Paul literally fell back against the wall when he saw the Topkick on its tires once again in the exact same spot it had been before. A cold chill wriggled up his spine as he stared at the undamaged black panels of the truck.

"WHAT is going ON here?!" Paul screamed.

Stomping out of the garage, eyes wild with near hysteria Paul trotted back to the house, not hearing the quiet sniggering.

When he finally made it back to the house he quickly but quietly marched up the stairs into Annabelle's room. She was still asleep.

Just as he was about to nudge her awake he glanced out the window and his eyes nearly fell out of his skull. He slowly approached the window and stared. There across the farmyard, leaning against the side of the garage, was a monstrous black form gleaming in the dim morning light. Paul's breath ceased when he saw the same blue lights from the night before glowing in his direction. Eyes? The huge black monster was definitely staring at the house, right at him. Then it lifted a hand and gave a small, smug wave in his direction.

"OHHH…MYYY…" he hissed waving his hand toward his girlfriend wildly, "Annabelle. _Annabelle! Wake up!_" Paul freaked out; shaking the young woman's sleeping form.

"Hmmm? What?" the young woman asked groggily, rubbing her eyelids.

Hauling her bodily out of the bed, Paul pointed wildly out the window, "LOOK! LOOK! It's a…" he stopped, confusion painting lines into his forehead.

The black monster was gone.

"What is WRONG with you Paul?" Annabelle demanded, still rubbing her eyes.

Paul shook his head desperately, "No…NO. It was there! RIGHT THERE! It was leaning against your shed! I SAW IT!"

The sleepy girl stared out the window too, "What are you talking about?"

"But…it…I saw it." he managed weakly. Then he wiped his face, "Annabelle…I think I'm going nuts." Paul whispered. "Last night I could've sworn I saw something in your shed and this morning…" Paul seemed loath to admit it but he massaged his cheeks and then dropped his hands, "God, you're going to think I'm insane."

Annabelle was more awake now, "What happened Paul? Tell me."

He held up a defensive hand, "Umm…now don't think I'm crazy but…this morning I moved your dad's truck."

"You MOVED it?" she raised a brow.

"Well it was really close to my car—a lot closer than it was when I first came in the garage." the dark-haired young man mentioned. "Then…"

His pause concerned Annabelle, "What then?"

"This is the wild part. I shut the door and…it flipped over."

"It flipped over?"

"I swear! It honest to God flipped over! But THEN I left for just a moment and when I came back it was right-side up again like it never happened!" Paul spoke quickly with a shaking head. "And then JUST now I saw this BIG black monster leaning against your shed!"

Annabelle feigned a look of shock and disbelief. But inside she was fuming. _Ironhide_…he was messing with Paul. She just KNEW it. The truth caught in her chest, her mind reining it in with a firm rope of discretion. No—she promised Ironhide and all the Autobots she'd never reveal their secret no matter what. BUT…she wasn't going to let this nonsense go on.

Paul sat heavily on her bed, confusion smothering his face.

Annabelle wasn't sure what to say but she put it aside by massaging his shoulders, "Come on Paul. If you don't get ready you'll late for your OWN family Christmas."

….

Later after Paul packed up his Mustang without any further "weirdness" and was getting ready to head for his own home, Annabelle leaned in the driver's side door and gave him a kiss goodbye, "So, I'll see you next week?"

Paul smiled, his green eyes shining, "Yeah, as long as your folks don't mind housing me for a couple days?"

"We'd be glad to have you, Paul." Will assured with a wave.

"You drive safe hon." Sara called.

The young man nodded happily and then stole a side-long toward the shed. Annabelle noticed his look but redirected him back to her with another brief kiss.

"Bye."

"Bye."

With a roar the Mustang drove off down the snowy road, the Lennox family waving. As soon as the car disappeared from view, Annabelle dropped her wave and directed a burning glare toward the shed.

Sara noticed her daughter's look and groaned with exasperation, "WHAT did he do now?"

"_IRONHIDE!"_ Annabelle yelled at the top her lungs, storming toward the shed.

…

Usually when Annabelle yelled for Ironhide he'd practically break down the shed door to answer her call, but this time he wisely held his ground in the safety of his domicile.

She was mad…and he didn't have to guess why.

In mere seconds the smaller door to his shed banged open revealing a very torqued Annabelle Lennox. He was in truck mode and intended to stay that way.

"YOU!" she growled.

Ironhide played the silent game.

"OH! Don't give me that silent crap Ironhide. Get up!" the young woman demanded.

The Topkick didn't move.

Annabelle gave the front bumper a harsh kick, "On your feet soldier!"

Sighing with resignation, Ironhide broke apart and stood up, looming over his charge. But, despite the size difference it was Annabelle who held the power.

"WHAT was that?" she demanded, thrusting a finger at him and then presumably outside.

"**Um…"**

The young woman cut him off, "Last night I thought was a simple mistake on your part. But this morning…YOU have been deliberately messing with Paul!"

"**But I never touched him!"** Ironhide insisted.

"I don't care! You're bullying him. You've bullied him since day one! I want this to stop NOW." her blue eyes flashed.

Ironhide made a small gesture, grumbling.

Annabelle threw up her hands, "Look! Either YOU show yourself to him NICELY or I'M going to have to tell him."

The hulking Autobot veteran raised a questioning brow plate, **"**_**You're**_** going to tell him?"**

"Yes. I'm tired of lying to him and pretending it's all him."Annabelle stated angrily.

"**And you believe he can be trusted with this information?"** Ironhide questioned seriously.

She nodded, "I _know_ he can."

The black Autobot considered it a moment but finally expelled air from his vents, **"Very well."**

Seeming pleased, Annabelle sighed too, "Good." As she prepared to leave the shed she turned sharply, "And you be nice! NO more messing with his mind!"

"**Can I help it if he scares easily?"** the mech snorted smugly.

"No more Ironhide! I ORDER you to leave him alone and stop picking on him!" the young woman barked. "He's my boyfriend NOT a pawn for your mean pranks."

The old Autobot merely grunted.


	7. Meeting the Monster

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Meeting the Monster"**

_The following week…_

Paul was nervous.

He'd been waiting for months to summon up the courage, but today…he was going to do it.

When he finally arrived, the Lennox family greeted him in the typical hospitable manner they displayed each time he came. He smiled but cast suspicious glances in the direction of the shed.

Much later in the day, after the evening meal, Annabelle led Paul out to the shed, which he eyed very warily.

"Paul. There's something I need to show you."

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Actually I do too."

"What do you want to show me?" the young woman asked, stopping just short of the door.

Paul licked his lips, fidgeting in his pocket. "I…I want you to…have this."

Shakily, he pulled out a small circlet of silver metal and held it up.

"Paul…" Annabelle's voice was hushed.

"It's just something I made in my metals class."

She stared at it in shock.

"I can't quite afford the real thing yet…and I can wait until we graduate and get more settled…" he fumbled.

Annabelle quickly embraced him, trembling. He hugged her back.

After a moment she pulled away and "I have to show you something…before I accept this." She closed his hand back around the promise ring and then took his arm, "Come on."

Annabelle led Paul into the shed.

"Uh…what were you going to show me?"

Annabelle didn't say anything, merely pulled him inside the shed. There sat the Topkick and Paul watched it. Taking a breath, Annabelle squeezed his hand.

"Ok, Annabelle what's this all about?" Paul asked, clearly confused.

"It's time you knew the family secret." she said very seriously.

Paul opened his mouth to speak but suddenly it just fell open. With a massive grinding and whirring sound, the Topkick broke apart into dozens of separate panels. Silver metal bulged out from under each panel as they spun and twisted. The whole truck reconfigured, rotating and pulling together until it lifted itself toward the shed ceiling. Two massive, splayed feet stomped the shed floor, shaking the building. Then quite suddenly the blue lights…the eyes…flashed down at him from a horned black and silver head. The monster!

Immediately, Paul thrust his arm around Annabelle and put her behind him.

"Stay back!" he shouted, staring down the black metal beast.

"Paul! It's all right! It's just…" Annabelle protested.

But before she could explain Paul turned and picked Annabelle up in a cradle carry, flying out the door.

Shocked, Annabelle struggled, "Paul! Stop! It's all right!"

But Paul was too pumped on adrenaline to process her objections as he ran across the farmyard. Behind them the big shed door banged open.

"**STOP RIGHT THERE, BOY!"** a thunderous voice shouted.

The sheer volume of the voice was enough to stop Paul in his tracks, but it was also oddly familiar. He turned to see the black metal monster emerging from the shed and striding after them.

"**Put Annabelle down, NOW!"** he growled, cannons whirring at his sides.

"Stay AWAY from her you monster!" Paul shouted back, pulling Annabelle protectively to his chest.

The mech raised his shoulders impressively, his blue optics flashed.

Annabelle jumped out of Paul's arms, "STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" She shook Paul's shoulders, "Just listen! Paul… this is Ironhide."

That seemed to snap Paul out of his panic, "Huh? Ironhide?"

"You know him as Uncle Hide."

"What? Uncle…" he sputtered, eyeing Ironhide who was powering down his cannons. "What are you _talking_ about? That _thing_…"

"He is an autonomous robot organism from another world. Ever since I was a baby he's been my guardian and a member of our family." the blonde explained slowly.

Paul's face was stretched with confusion and disbelief. He looked like he was debating between running for his life and passing out. Annabelle gently laid her hands on his back but he jerked away.

"This WHOLE time?" he gasped, "You were lying to me?"

Annabelle shook her head in horror at the word, "NO! I couldn't tell you! I…"

"You made me think I was going _crazy!_" Paul gestured with a betrayed grimace on his face, "Why didn't you _tell_ me about this? About _that_!"

"It wasn't my secret to tell." Annabelle explained, desperation to save the situation choking her voice. "Please believe me!"

Paul shook his head aggressively and threw down his arms, storming toward his car.

"Paul!" Annabelle cried.

But Paul was already slamming the door of his Mustang and driving away. Ironhide was milliseconds from blasting the car with his cannons, but his concern shifted to Annabelle.

"**Annabelle?"** he tried to say quietly.

She was watching the red lights of Paul's car disappear down the road. A shudder issued from the young woman's lungs as her blue eyes spilled her tears. She covered her face and sobbing, she ran into the house. Ironhide felt his Spark pulse. There was nothing he hated more than to see Annabelle cry…except knowing WHO caused it. He turned very menacingly toward the road and shifted his plating to transform.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Will shouted from the porch.

Ironhide stopped and turned.

The soldier's eyes went steely, "Don't even THINK about it!"

"**Did you see how he treated Annabelle?"** Ironhide snarled. **"He completely rejected her!"**

Will shook his head, "No. He's just in shock."

The Autobot flashed his optics, **"That is NO excuse for upsetting Annabelle!"**

"Just cool it Hide."

"**WHY are you defending him?"** Ironhide demanded loudly.

Will pointed at him, "Because _he's_ not to blame for this!"

"**What are you talking about?"**

"Why don't you sit awhile and THINK about it." Will barked, marching into the house.

His gears grinding harshly, Ironhide spun his cannons and paced back to his shed. He was so outraged he could barely process a coherent thought. _**Was Will insinuating this was HIS fault? How was it HIS fault? That BOY was the whole reason this mess was happening! Ever since Annabelle first met him he was nothing but trouble. That boy wasn't good enough for Annabelle! He didn't deserve her!**_

As he stomped back to his shed he heard Annabelle crying. He stopped, turned slowly, and focused his sensors. She was in her room crying into Sara's shoulder.

"Shh. Shh. It's ok. Just let it out." Sara consoled stroking her daughter's back.

Through her sobs Annabelle gasped, "Oh mom! It's all my fault."

"No. No it's not."

The young woman sobbed even more, "I love him mom…I love him. I can't lose him. I can't!"

Ironhide leaned into his shed, optics dim.

It _was_ his fault. He tormented the boy; made him think he was going crazy. He did every subtle trick in the book to chase him away because he believed Paul wasn't worthy of Annabelle. But…that's what HE believed. Annabelle loved this boy…and _he_ wrecked it. No…no he wouldn't let that stand.

With a hurried transformation Ironhide zoomed down the road.

Will stormed onto the porch like he'd been shot from a cannon. "IRONHIDE!" He threw up his hands and ran to the garage to get his car.

Ironhide was going after Paul and Will prayed he wasn't going to kill the boy.

…

_An hour later in one of the town bars…_

The Lazy H was only half full. When Paul walked in he was only greeted by leery stares from the dozen or so strangers and a heavy fog of smoke. Not in any hurry he sidled up to the bar next to a loud, drunk group of Hispanics and ordered a shot of bourbon. He downed the bitter drink and ordered another. He was so confused, so hurt, and so overwhelmed; he hoped the liquor could cool his head and numb the pain that ached his heart.

How could Annabelle lie to him like that? He loved her! He was ready to commit to her for life and then she drops THIS in his lap like a hand grenade.

"_I mean her damn truck is really her Uncle Hide and he's an auto…auto whatever organism from another planet? How am I supposed to deal with that?"_ he thought crazily to himself.

"Hey Gringo, find another seat," a harsh accented voice demanded.

Paul glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye. He was a lanky Hispanic man with a thin mustache. His four drunken friends flanked him at the bar. Paul tried to fake being deaf. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with some drunk asshole.

A couple fingers jabbed his shoulder, "Hey! You hear me Gringo? Move!"

"Sorry." Paul muttered unenthusiastically, finishing his drink, and moving over.

The gang laughed, "That's right white boy."

Paul sighed but suddenly another one of the group poked his shoulder, "Move Gringo. That's _my_ seat."

Paul pointed down the bar, "There's plenty of room."

"You getting' smart Gringo?" the one who poked him challenged, puffing out his chest.

"I'm just saying there's…" Paul tried but suddenly the man pushed him off of his bar stool.

Paul rolled onto the floor, the bar stool toppling on top of him. The belligerent group of men laughed raucously. The young man threw the bar stool off of him and got up, eyes pulsing with anger.

One of the group strode out, arms wide, head forward in a challenging swagger, "You wanna go white boy?"

Paul answered with a lightening right hook to the man's jaw, splitting his lip. In an instant the four men pounced. Two grabbed Paul's arms and hauled him toward the door. The youth tried to fight back but he was vastly outnumbered. In one mighty heave the two men pitched Paul out the door, sending him rolling into the parking lot. Before he could get up he felt the metal tip of a cowboy boot dive into his gut. Paul groaned, air stolen from his lungs.

Someone grabbed him by the shirt and stood him up. Paul couldn't breathe as a fist met his cheek, spinning him around. Bloody saliva dripped from the boy's gasping mouth as he tried to regain his breath. Another fist planted into his kidney, dropping him to his knees.

"Not so tough are you Gringo?" one of the men taunted.

At once a boot shoved him face first to the asphalt. Paul's head was spinning when suddenly a blazing light burned his eyes. The assailants yelped in surprise and backed up. Before Paul could react he found himself lying underneath the front end of a very large truck, right between the front tires. The rumbling engine, a foot above, blasted him with heat.

"_Oh dear sweet God." _Paul thought with horror.

It was _him_.

"_Great…first I get my ass kicked, now I'm going to be pulverized by his girlfriend's giant alien pickup!"_ he thought dismally.

Waiting for death, Paul cringed when suddenly he heard the truck door open and a black boot dropped down. The new set of boots walked very calmly around to the front of the truck.

"Who the Hell are you man?" one of the Hispanics slurred.

There was only a grating reply, **"Leave the boy alone, punks."**

"Fuck you, asshole!" another voice laughed drunkenly.

Paul watched as the black boots smoothly approached the gang's. Like a pack of wolves the men surged forward to attack. But, much to Paul's amazement, the men's boots lifted off the ground and all he could hear were their bodies slamming against the building. Groans of pain and shouts of dismay rang out. Then, turning on heel, the black boots leisurely walked back to the side of the pickup. Paul heard both of the truck's doors pop open.

"**Get up and get in." **a deep gravely voice commanded from the engine housing above him.

"No frigging way!" Paul shook his head, fingers clenching the gravel.

The engine revved, **"Get in or I'll PUT you in."**

"Look! If you're going to kill me just get it over with!" Paul begged, "Stop toying with me!"

"**I'm not going to kill you boy. Just get in."** the voice insisted.

The truck backed up, allowing him to stand. Paul shakily stood, backing up a bit.

"**Don't you…" **

Paul bolted across the parking lot.

"…**run." **

He didn't get very far when he bumped into a solid body. Paul reeled but suddenly a hand seized his arm. He looked up and beheld "Uncle Hide.". The dark mustachioed hologram frowned then flickered.

"**Don't run. I just want to talk,"** he explained.

Paul's eyes darted wildly, "You…you're not real!"

The Hide hologram shook its head, "**No. This is merely a hologram. Now get in."**

Seeing that he had no choice, Paul nodded and the hologram released his arm. As he marched toward the ominous black _Topkick_ he noticed the four men all laying sporadically in the lot; thrashed by "Uncle Hide". He swallowed hard, wondering if he was next. Only…he was sure his demise would be far more horrific. Like he was entering his own hearse, Paul climbed into the truck and sat. The door shut and "Uncle Hide" climbed in. When the _Topkick_ drove out of the lot the windows darkened.

Paul cast nervous glances all around him, unwilling to touch anything or look at the holographic human sitting next to him.

"You…you SWEAR you're not going to kill me? Squish me? Vaporize me?" Paul croaked, his voice threatening to give out.

The hologram's blue eyes slanted over at him, **"I swear I'm not going to harm you boy."**

No more relieved, Paul merely nodded. The hologram suddenly disappeared and Paul jumped.

"**Easy boy. I just prefer to talk to you mech to man. Can you handle that?"** the truck inquired.

Paul didn't respond.

"**Ok. I'm going to stop and let you out. I'll transform and then we'll sit down and talk. Is that…acceptable?" **the deep voice stated very slowly.

The young man released a stressed breath, "Y-Yeah."

The _Topkick_ stopped gently and the door popped open. Paul cautiously glanced outside. He didn't see any lights. They were out in the middle of nowhere. A sickening ball of worms squirmed in the youth's stomach.

"You ARE going to kill me," he insisted with resignation.

An irritated blast of hot air rattled through the air vents, **"Ugg. For the LAST time boy, I'm NOT going to kill you! Just hop out and have a seat on that rock."**

Paul uneasily complied and before he knew it the truck was rearranging itself into the towering, black and silver monstrosity. The blue optics flashed down at him as did the headlights. Stepping back the huge robot distanced himself from the boy in an attempt to ease his fear. For several long moments the two stared at each other, neither willing to speak.

Ironhide finally spoke, **"My name is Ironhide."**

"I caught that." Paul mentioned feebly.

"**As Annabelle explained, I am her family guardian and I am obviously not of your world,"** he explained. **"My faction; the Autobots, has allied itself with your species in secret to protect you from our rival faction, the Decepticons."**

"So what do you want with me?"

Ironhide paced a moment, seeming to choose his words carefully, **"Look, boy. You need to go back to Annabelle."**

"That's why you came after me?" Paul asked incredulously.

The Autobot nodded with narrow optics, **"Yes. She is very upset you left and **_**I **_**don't like to see her upset."**

Paul glanced around uncomfortably.

"**Well? Don't you love her, boy?"** Ironhide demanded.

Indignantly, Paul stood up, "Stop calling me 'boy'! I have a name you know!"

Ironhide ground his gears a moment, **"Let's get one thing straight, **_**boy**_**. I haven't liked you from the first moment I laid optics on you."**

Paul swallowed hard but gestured strongly, "What did I ever do to you?"

Ironhide eyed him piercingly. **"You painted me for one."**

"That's it?" Paul's head jerked back in shock, "Well if it's any consolation I'm sorry! Ok?"

"**That was only the tip of the asteroid. THEN you started pursuing Annabelle. Given the reputation of her past suitors I knew I couldn't trust you."** Ironhide explained, growling his words.

Paul looked around helplessly, "But…but…"

"**I did my best to discourage you…without using extreme measures."**

Realization dawned on Paul, "That date. That was you."

"**Yes."**

"And the shed! You flipped over to freak me out!" Paul shouted.

"**Yes."**

"And Annabelle lied to me," he mentioned bitterly.

Ironhide hissed in his hydraulics, taking a menacing step toward the youth, **"SHE didn't lie to you!"**

Paul sat back down, intimidated by the show of size.

"**I made her promise to NEVER reveal my existence to anyone unless I gave her explicit permission to do so."** He barked, **"You should not be angry with Annabelle. She was honoring her promise to me."**

The young man blinked his green eyes, trying to soak in the explanation, "So…if you don't like me then why are you telling me this? Isn't this what you wanted?"

Ironhide sighed mechanically, dimming his optics, **"Yes."**

"Then why?"

"**Because…it's not what Annabelle wants." **The Autobot turned away proudly, **"I've been selfish.** **I've wanted to get rid of you because I believed you weren't good enough for her."**

Paul got that helpless frown on his face again.

"**But tonight, you did something I've been waiting to see."** Ironhide replied enigmatically.

"What?"

Ironhide faced him again, **"You disregarded your own life for the sake of hers. You stood up to **_**me **_**to protect her."**

Paul sat up straighter.

"**I realize…I was wrong."** The mech admitted grudgingly, **"Annabelle loves you. You make her happy. And I **_**will not**_** stand in the way of her happiness." **Ironhide admitted.

A deep squealing grind sounded deep within the Autobot's chest as he forced the words out of this vocalizer, **"And I…I want to…**_**apologize**_**.**"

Paul seemed to think a moment, and then stood up, "Ok. Um…thanks."

Towering over him Ironhide asked very seriously, **"Do **_**you**_** love Annabelle?"**

"Of course!"

"**You will always protect her and do your best to keep her happy?"** he continued.

"Yes."

"**And you swear upon your life that this secret Annabelle has shared with you will not be revealed?"**

Paul nodded, "I swear I won't tell anyone."

"**I'll hold you to that."** Ironhide leaned forward eyeing Paul very directly, **"Don't disappoint me."**

"Yes sir."

Very abruptly, Ironhide transformed and popped open his door, **"Well, come on boy. I'll take you back to your car and you can tell her all that yourself."**

…

It was past midnight when Ironhide pulled back into the Lennox's driveway, Paul's Mustang tailing him. Will came storming off the porch, clearly pissed.

"Where the HELL have you been?" the soldier demanded.

Ironhide transformed, **"Relax, Will. We just had a little chat."**

Paul climbed out of his car and Will noticed his black eye and swollen lip.

"OH you son of bitch!" he cursed at Ironhide.

The black Autobot snorted with offense, **"Don't look at me! I didn't do that."**

"Then what happened?"

Paul waved dismissively, "Long story. Where's Annabelle?"

Will barred him with his arm, "Upstairs, crying all night."

The young man ran a hand through his dark hair with discomfort, "I know. I know. But...I've just got to see her Mr. Lennox!"

Before Will could respond the screen door banged and there on the front porch stood Annabelle. On a mission, Paul dodged Will's arm and ran up to her. She gave him a cold stare.

"What do _you_ want?"

Bouncing lightly on his heels, Paul tried to find the right words, "Annabelle…I…I'm sorry I freaked out. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You did Paul," she said flatly.

He lowered his head, "I know…I was wrong —so wrong. You were just keeping a promise and I acted like an idiot."

The young man reached into his pocket and retrieved the Promise Ring, "If…if you can forgive me for being an idiot I want you to have this."

Annabelle bit her lip, her eyes wet. He could tell from her expression she was saying "yes" but the bruise on her heart was still fresh.

She crossed her arms, "Can you handle being a part of my family?"

"If you…if they will have me?" he managed glancing back at Mr. Lennox and Ironhide.

Will's face split with a smile, "I was wondering when you were going to ask. Although I little more "heads up" would've been appreciated."

"Do I have your permission Mr. Lennox?" Paul asked hopefully.

The soldier at last nodded, "As soon as you're both graduated and have steady jobs…yes."

Annabelle gave Ironhide a critical stare, "And do YOU approve?"

The blue glowing optics looked from her to Paul. He grunted, **"I **_**suppose**_** he'll do."**

The ice melted from Annabelle's face and she stepped down from the porch.

She smiled radiantly, "Yes."

Gently she held out her hand and Paul slipped on the Promise Ring.

_**A/N: Sorry that took so long to update! I just got so caught up in "Pet Squishy" I kind of threw this on the back burner! I'll have just one short chapter after this and then it shall be done.**_

_**OH. And for those of you who voted for Tinman on Audiofanfic a million THANK YOUs! Because of you WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS people Tinman has earned the right to be turned into an audio drama! I'm so stoked I can hardly stand it! It should be produced by January 2009! **_

_**I will forewarn my readers than it will be a SEVERELY condensed version of Tinman (I had to knock it down from 75,000 words to 15,000) so some of the subplots and quite a few chapters had to be cut and/or mashed into different sequences. BUT…it should be great. It's entering the early draft stages so I'll let ya'll know how it's going!**_

_**Again THANK YOU ALL!**_


	8. Two Step and Waltz

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Two Step and Waltz"**

_Nearly two years later…_

True to their promise, Annabelle and Paul waited until their college careers ended and they held steady jobs to "tie the knot". Now caught up in the hustle of planning a wedding, Annabelle and Sara spent the months continuously searching catalogues, making endless streams of phone calls, and taking dozens upon dozens of shopping trips to get ready for the big event. It seemed a simple circlet of metal wasn't enough to bond the young couple.

All this wedding commotion left a certain Autobot guardian on the sidelines, trying to process every little custom and detail. Human pair-bonding or "marriage", as they called it, was far more ceremonial than he'd initially thought. When he wasn't transporting Annabelle and Sara around, Ironhide spent most of his time researching the customs of a wedding; half of which he didn't get. Annabelle, after all, had requested that he be an usher at her wedding—in hologram form of course.

Just as Ironhide was starting to grasp the fine points of the ushering position a new "curve ball" was thrown his way. Apparently, after the wedding ceremony there was to be a dance. Sure, he'd taken Annabelle to a whole slew of dances during her High School years, but this time he'd actually have to _participate_. As custom demanded, the bride's male family members were staged to dance with her. This meant only one horrible thing: he had to learn to dance.

Ironhide began his search on the Internet, but the erratic, insane, flailing and hip-shaking dances he found were certainly not to his liking. Many of the humans looked as if they had blown a motor-relay fuse and were short-circuiting on top of that.

_**No…that can't be right.**_

The weapons specialist kept researching but truthfully wasn't sure what was the correct dance for a wedding—well other than the utterly degrading "Chicken Dance" which he assured he wanted NO part of.

"What's going on, Ironhide?" Will asked casually as he entered the Autobot's shed.

Quickly, Ironhide deactivated his holographic research and faced him, **"Will, I require information."**

"Ok." the man shrugged amiably, "What do you want to know."

"**What dance is appropriate for a wedding?"** the black Autobot inquired.

"Dance?"

Ironhide nodded, **"I understand one of the customs of this wedding involves dancing with the bride. I simply wish to know which dance is necessary to complete this objective."**

Will laughed, "You make it sound like a combat mission."

Ironhide shifted in his chair, visibly uncomfortable discussing it.

But Will smiled at him, "Don't worry Hide old buddy. You're NOT the first guy shaken up by the idea of dancing."

"**So which dance is appropriate?"**

"Well, it all depends on the type of song selected. But if it's dancing with the bride I'd guess a nice, slow country song or rock ballad." Will informed him.

Ironhide leaned forward a bit, **"And what dance goes well with that music?"**

"Well, a waltz like the Foxtrot would be nice or maybe just a simple Two Step." the man explained.

Quickly, Ironhide accessed the Internet for the dance steps, his optics brightening and darting to absorb the information. It seemed simple enough.

Will smirked, shaking his head, "It's one thing to _research_ a dance; it's quite another thing to _perform_ it."

Ironhide stopped his research and quickly activated his human hologram, which stood before Will, **"Well, why don't you demonstrate?"**

The man laughed a bit, eyes rolling back a bit embarrassed, "I'm _**not**_the best dancer, Hide."

"**Then we are on equal ground."** the Autobot insisted.

Will held up his hands, "No _really_ big guy. I just know the Two-Step and that's about it."

"**Teach me this 'Two-Step'." **

The man started to protest but sighed, realizing Ironhide's stubbornness would persist until he complied. He made a motion with his hand to beckon the hologram closer.

"Ok…but don't say I didn't warn you."

_Several minutes later…_

Uncle Hide and Will finished the Two-Step lesson, **"That's all?"**

"Step wise, yeah that's pretty much it." Will nodded. "All you have to worry about it not stepping on your partner's feet."

Just then a quiet clapping and a laugh startled them.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Sara giggled at the sight of her husband leading the rough, biker-looking hologram.

"How long have you been there?" Will groaned.

"Long enough. Practicing for the dance?" she guessed.

"Yeah," Will smiled at her, "Hey, Hide, why don't you practice with Sara? Show me what you've learned."

Uncle Hide marched over to Sara and abruptly took her hand, holding it in position. Then he placed his hand on her waist to pull her close. Sara blinked seeming stunned by his brusque approach.

Will waved his hands, "No. No. Wait."

"**What? I am in the correct position."** Ironhide protested.

"Yeah but you don't just go up to a woman and seize her for a dance." Will explained, "You have to ASK her to dance first."

Ironhide seemed embarrassed. He _knew _that. Centuries of chivalry toward femmes and he totally blew it.

Uncle Hide released her, backed away, and bowed his head, **"Forgive me for being so rude. May I have permission to dance with you?"**

Playing along Sara smiled and extended her hand, "You may."

The mustachioed hologram took her hand gently and reassumed the previous dance position. Then he began to mimic the movements and steps he observed earlier with precise accuracy.

_**Oh yeah. He could do this.**_

"You dance like Will." Sara giggled.

"**And that is…good?"**

Sara whispered in his ear, "Not really."

Uncle Hide stopped dancing abruptly and turned to Will, **"You were showing me inferior dance methods?"**

Sara burst out laughing, trying to cover the hologram's mouth, "Don't tell him THAT!"

"Hey, I _tried_ to warn you Hide!" Will took a defensive stance.

The real Ironhide groaned, planting his face in his palm, _**"Great."**_

Sara thought a moment then walked over and patted his large ankle, "It's ok Ironhide. I'll help you dance."

"**Are your dancing skills superior to Will's?" **

The woman smirked, "No. But I know someone who CAN dance."

Before Ironhide could ask, Sara exited the shed on a mission. Ironhide stole a question glance at Will who seemed to have fallen silent. However, Ironhide didn't have much of a chance to inquire about the Captain's mental state when Sara returned with Paul in tow. Ironhide's crested head pulled back.

"No REALLY Mrs. Lennox! I'm not that good." Paul protested.

"Oh don't be so modest Paul." she chided, nudging him toward Will and Ironhide.

The black mech raised a questioning brown plate at Annabelle's fiancé, **"YOU know how to dance?"**

Paul shrugged nervously, "Um…"

Sara patted his back encouragingly, "He's a wonderful dancer."

"But I…"

"And he'd be very GLAD to teach you how to dance Ironhide." Sara insisted, barring the boy's verbal attempts at escape.

Will winced, knowing exactly how Paul felt being passively badgered into something by his wife. Ironhide wasn't appearing too keen on the idea either, but if Paul's skills were the best he could get he would take his instruction.

Sara began to leave, "Well I've got to go help Annabelle with the table decoration ideas. You boys have fun."

"Yeah…I'll help too." Will offered hastily trotting after his wife.

With that they left, leaving the awkward duo staring at each other.

Ironhide soon broke the ice, **"So boy, are you going to teach me or not?"**

Trapped in every sense of the word the young man submitted, "Um…sure, Ironhide. I'd be HAPPY to teach you."

"**Then proceed." **

Paul stood before "Uncle Hide" the hologram, unsure really how to proceed. Teaching another man to slow dance was awkward enough, but teaching a robot's hologram to dance was a whole other level of weird. Uncle Hide was standing expressionless before him like a puppet awaiting manipulation.

Clearing his throat, Paul shook out his legs trying to sort out his explanation of dancing, "Um…ok. Well in most dances the man leads."

"**Leads?"** Ironhide queried.

"Yes. The man chooses where to take the woman across the floor during the dance and which direction they will go."

Ironhide shifted, **"So…I have to know what I'm doing to lead?"**

"OH yeah. A woman can always tell when you're faking it." Paul smirked.

Somehow the giant robot's genuine questions and curiosity eased Paul. He felt good being the one in the "know" and though strange, teaching Ironhide to dance seemed to lessen the intimidation factor the Autobot had over him. At least his hologram couldn't accidentally step on him as he had initially feared.

"Ok. So you hold her right hand up…like this."

Paul took the hologram's right hand and it responded with a crushing grip in return.

The grit his teeth, "But not _too_ strong! Just hold it gently."

Uncle Hide's grip lessened.

"Good. Now um…the other hand…" Paul hesitated.

The hologram gave him a quizzical brow raise, **"Yeah?"**

Paul smiled uncomfortably but took the hologram's thick wrist, "And…the other hand…rests on her waist. Like so." Paul positioned Uncle Hide's hand on his hip to demonstrate.

"**What purpose does that serve?"** Ironhide asked, curiosity perked by the strange act.

"Well… it guides your partner where you want to go and plus it would look funny if your other hand wasn't doing something."

"**Oh. I thought it was a sly trick to try to touch a femme's aft quarters."** the mech smirked.

The young man burst out laughing, "Well _that_ too. Just DON'T let your hand go too low. You'll get slapped."

"**You would slap me?"**

Paul shook his head, "No! The girl you're dancing with would slap you. I _enjoy_ living too much to try and hit you."

"**Smart boy. All right, now what?"** Ironhide observed the position of his hologram and Paul.

"Now move as I move." Paul led Uncle Hide in the Fox Trot showing the movement, "Quick, quick. Slow, slow. Quick, quick. Slow, slow."

Much to the young man's surprise the hologram behaved just like a human dancer and was very precise in following his movements. However, his "performance" needed some work. He observed Uncle Hide wasn't playing a very convincing human role with his blank emotionless stare and hard eyes.

Paul added, "But you might want to smile. You're 'other self" looks like he's going to kick my ass. You want your partner to believe you're having a _good_ time dancing with them."

Uncle Hide smiled—a little too much.

Paul snorted, laughing, "Less big guy. Less."

The holographic man reduced it to a simple grin.

"There you go. And you can spice up the dance a bit by twirling your partner or dipping her."

Manipulating Uncle Hide's hand he spun him in a slow circle and then pulled him back, "That's a twirl. Ok, you try."

Uncle Hide repeated the move but whipped Paul around a bit too fast sending the boy struggling to catch up and not get his arm wrenched from its socket.

"Whoa! Too hard! You'll throw your partner through the wall if you do it that hard!" Paul exclaimed, "Just do it smooth and gentle."

Trying again the hologram spun Paul much more gently.

"Good. That's good. Now let me show you the dip. You only want to do one or two dips throughout the song. One near the end of a song is good." Paul explained setting the holographic man up for a dip.

Given Uncle Hide was nearly a foot taller than and twice as broad as he, Paul wondered if he could even support the weight. _Did holograms even have weight?_ The young man steeled himself as he spun the holographic man around and concluded with a dip. He felt the familiar pull and wondered how it was possible, but YES this hologram had weight.

Paul grunted, struggling to pull Uncle Hide into a standing position again, praying to God he didn't drop him, "How do you do that?"

"**Do what?"**

"Your hologram has weight! I thought it was just an image." Paul pointed.

Ironhide smirked, **"It only **_**feels**_** like it has weight. The force fields it projects are pulling you, giving you the illusion that it has weight—makes it more convincing."**

"Huh. That's pretty cool. Ok. You try and then we'll take it from the top."

"**The top of what?"**

"Uh…we'll see if you learned anything." the young man clarified.

Ironhide huffed, **"**_**Boy**_**, my capacity for memory is impeccable."**

"I don't doubt it. Mind if we review anyway?"

"**Very well." **the mech grumbled.

_**A/N: Ok I lied. This IS NOT the last chapter…I think I've got one more left in me so this chapter should tie ya'll over until then.**_

_**Oh and no update on the second half of my Tinman audio drama yet T-T I'm getting quite impatient to see it posted! BUT I'll try to let you guys know if it does get posted. HOPEFULLY I'll get some news as to what is taking so long.**_


	9. Dancing with the Bride

_**A/N: **__**BIG NEWS! FINALLY**__** and at long last the 2**__**nd**__** and 3**__**rd**__** parts of my "Tinman" audio drama are posted on audiofanfic .com!!!! So if you haven't heard it already stop by and have a listen. I was so impressed I practically cried joyful tears. And again it's ALL thanks to you the fans and the wonderful crew at Audiofanfic! **_

**Boys, Meet my Truck**

"**Dancing with the Bride"**

_Annabelle and Paul's wedding reception…_

Ironhide (or rather "Uncle Hide") managed to achieve his objective of ushering without a hitch. The wedding proceeded as human custom demanded: the hallowed readings, the words of bonding, the exchange of rings, and of course the ending mouth interface. It was all so baffling to Ironhide that such a quick, simple act needed so much planning, stress, and finances to achieve. But it was finished and the only thing left was attending the wedding reception and dancing with the bride. Apparently, it was the fun celebration that followed the ceremonial aspects of the wedding. But Ironhide wasn't thinking about fun. He was thinking of Annabelle.

She stood at the head table behind a lavish, tower of a dessert called a "wedding cake" with her bond mate. Her smile was so radiant. Ironhide had never seen her so happy and yet, despite his best efforts, he was having trouble sharing that emotion.

"**So your 'ushering' task went well?"** Ratchet's unmistakable voice asked from behind.

Uncle Hide inclined his gaze to Ratchet's hologram, a stout, silver haired, clean shaven, man with square glasses and a very educated look about him. He wore a dark suit with a yellow tie.

"**It was not difficult." **Ironhide assured but then grimaced reaching into his hologram vest pocket**, "But I received several numeric sequences scribbled on paper from several female guests."**

Ratchet snickered, mimicking the human gesture of adjusting his glasses, **"I believe those are known as 'phone numbers', Hide."**

The holographic Ironhide gave a very convincing look of disturbance as he stared at the small scraps of paper in his hand, **"You're saying they were…"**

Ratchet clapped Uncle Hide on the back, **"Congratulations Hide. You've finally become attractive to the opposite sex…of an opposite species."**

"**Oh sit on a bolt and rotate."** Ironhide snarled, stuffing the numbers away. **"You know very well the femmes couldn't resist me."**

"_**Right.**_** Mainframe fantasies are fun aren't they?"** the man smirked.

Uncle Hide squared his shoulders, **"I wouldn't know. You're the expert on such 'fantasies'."**

Ratchet continued to smile and he dipped his head knowingly, **"I know you're going to miss Annabelle."**

The cowboy looking hologram stared at him a moment but nodded, **"Yes."**

Just then Sam, Mikaela, a young man about Annabelle's age with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a tall man about Will's age with dark brown hair and rugged strong features approached. Ironhide tipped his black cowboy hat at them.

"**This is a very interesting human celebration."** Optimus's hologram observed, **"I have yet to congratulate the young couple on their bonding."**

"**Me too."** the young Bumblebee hologram nodded.

"You guys will have plenty of time I'm sure." Sam assured.

Mikaela smirked at Ironhide's hologram, "Looking good there cowboy."

The hologram's eyes wandered up to the brim of the hat then to Ratchet hissing, **"You think it's the hat that's attracting these human females?"**

Mikaela burst out laughing, trying to stifle it with her hand.

Ironhide and Ratchet looked over at her, **"Is it?"**

The young woman giggled, "Well lots of women DO have a thing for cowboys."

Uncle Hide removed his hat promptly.

"What's the matter Hide? You shy around the ladies?" Sam audaciously asked.

Optimus and Ratchet laughed ironically. They knew very well Hide's reputation with femmes and it was ANYTHING but shy.

The hologram narrowed his blue eyes, **"No. I just don't want to mislead any of the females here. This IS only a hologram after all."**

"Point taken." the young man nodded.

Mikaela took the hat from him and placed it back on his head, "Keep it on. It completes the look."

Uncle Hide was about to protest when the DJ in the corner of the reception hall announced it was time for the first dance of the evening. The reception guests began to circle around the empty floor and Annabelle and Paul took the center, positioning themselves for the dance. Annabelle was still in her lavish wedding gown and Paul in his dress shirt and tux slacks. The gentle ballad began and Paul expertly led his new wife in a slow waltz in the center of the crowd.

"**He seems a healthy male specimen."** Ratchet observed in a quiet voice. **"And they appear genetically compatible."**

Ironhide nodded. For several minutes the new couple danced until the DJ announced it was time for the father of the bride to dance with his daughter. Will, dressed in his military dress suit, stepped forward and Paul handed Annabelle over to him. Father and daughter danced and Ironhide could see the tears welling in both their eyes. Through the music he listened to them talk.

"_I'm so proud of you Annie."_ Will said in a choked whisper.

Annabelle smiled, _"Don't cry daddy, you'll get me started."_

"_I never thought this day would come…my little girl all grown up and married."_

The young woman let some tears fall and quickly wiped them away, _"I love you daddy."_

Ironhide retracted his surveillance hearing.

"**Is that sad crying or happy crying?"** Bumblebee asked.

The Autobots had witnessed the strange and often confusing behavior known as "crying" many times during their time on Earth. Once they figured out it wasn't a damaging leak in the humans' eyes they had to interpret what the crying meant. The paradox was that the crying never meant the same thing each time.

"It's happy with a mix of sad." Mikaela smiled.

Bumblebee's hologram cocked his head, **"How can you tell?"**

The dark haired woman smiled even wider, "Captain Will loves his daughter and knows she'll be leaving home. That's sad for him. _But_ he also knows Annabelle is entering a new chapter in her life…so he's happy too."

"**Hmm."** the blonde hologram scratched his head, **"I'll never figure this 'crying' thing out."**

"**Don't try Bee. You'll just run your logic processor in a continuous loop."** Ironhide explained.

On the dance floor the song changed and Will handed the bride back to the groom, moving back to stand next to Uncle Hide. The former soldier wiped his damp eyes.

"**Will you be all right?"** the cowboy hologram asked.

The man nodded with a smile, "Just feels like I'm losing my baby girl."

Uncle Hide inclined his head toward him, **"She hasn't been designated a 'baby' for quite some time Will."**

"I know. It's just…you're never really ready for them to grow up. One day she's learning to walk, the next, she's married and ready to start a new life." he stated in a reminiscing tone.

"**I…"** Ironhide began, **"Shall miss her very much."**

Will grabbed his shoulder gently, "That's something we need to talk about."

…

_Several dances later…_

Uncle Hide was just finishing his conversation with Captain Lennox when he felt a slender arm hook onto his. He turned to see Annabelle radiant as a new sun in the cosmos.

"Can I steal Uncle Hide for a dance?" she asked her dad.

Will smiled, "Sure. He's all yours."

The cowboy in the black suit smiled and gently took her hand, following her to the now filled dance floor. Ironhide could see Ratchet's hologram dancing with Sara Lennox and Bumblebee's was dancing with one of the bridesmaids. Optimus was off to the side speaking with Paul, probably congratulating him on the bonding. Paul had been introduced to the other Autobots earlier that year and though intimidated, took the meeting much better than Ironhide's. Paul seemed the most comfortable with Optimus for some odd reason.

Ironhide assumed the dancing position, counted the music beats, and gently waltzed Annabelle across the floor. She smiled up at him, allowing him to lead.

"You dance like Paul." she observed.

Ironhide's eyes shifted around, **"And that is… good?"**

"He _taught_ you didn't he?" the young woman laughed, genuinely astonished.

No doubt Sara had blabbed about the lessons.

"**Maybe…what of it?"**

She smiled, shaking her head, "Nothing. I'm glad you're starting to like him."

"**It was a necessary lapse I assure you."** he insisted gravely.

Annabelle gave him a chiding look, "Liar. You like him."

"**He is…tolerable."** the cowboy hologram admitted. He decided to change the subject, **"You look like you rolled right off the assembly line tonight."**

Knowing he meant "beautiful" the young woman smiled, "Thank you. Your hologram is looking very dapper tonight."

"**Is it the hat?"** Ironhide brought up the question again.

She laughed, "Probably. I know my High School Principal, Paul's mother, and several other ladies have been asking me who you were and if you were single."

Uncle Hide's eyes suddenly darted around, **"Oh…perhaps I should've reconsidered this hat."**

Annabelle tweaked the stiff brim of the fake hat, "I like it. It fits you."

They danced for a few more seconds until Annabelle leaned into him, eyes wet again, "I'm going to miss you."

"**Well, your father just gave me an order, one I am obligated to follow but only if you approve."** Ironhide explained.

"An order?"

The hologram took on a solemn expression, **"He wants me to transfer my guardianship to you and your husband." **

"You'd leave mom and dad to guard us?" Annabelle sounded shocked.

"**I told him I would, but only if you wished it."** he smirked, **"I made the same offer to your father over twenty earth years ago."**

The young woman looked away a moment, thinking. Ironhide patiently danced with her until the song ended and slowly she took him aside. She held his hologram's hands.

"Ironhide I'd want nothing more than to have you as our guardian, but…"

He looked questioningly at her, **"But?"**

"But your duty is to my parents first."

"_**And**_** you."** he insisted.

She nodded, "I know. But I want them to have you."

"**So…you do not wish it."** the hologram concluded.

Annabelle squeezed the false hands, "I wish it…just not yet. Promise me that you will guard my parents for as long as they live."

His large hands clasped hers in return, **"As long as **_**I**_** function, I will guard them for you Annabelle."**

The blonde bride jumped up and embraced him around the neck, "Then, you'd _better_ come visit us often."

"**I will. Whenever you want."** he promised.

She released her holographic "uncle" and took his arm again, "Dance again?"

Ironhide looked to the dance floor, noticing the song was much faster and quite frankly not of the "waltzing" variety. The younger humans were popping and swaying their bodies to the wild beat in a very…disturbing manner.

Ironhide spotted Bumblebee's hologram dancing with Sam and Mickaela as well as a larger group of young women. The scout's hologram was, how the human's put it, "ripping up the dance floor" with precise, almost slow-motion movements. He looked like his motor controls were in suspended animation. But, the cluster of humans seemed enthralled with his skills.

"**Umm…perhaps when a slower song is played."** Ironhide bowed out.

At that moment, two fingers tapped Ironhide's back. He turned to see Paul.

"Mind if I dance with my wife?" he asked politely.

The holographic cowboy narrowed his eyes at the young man and faced him. Paul went stiff, thinking he'd just asked the wrong thing. Without warning the larger man seized Paul's hand and shook it firmly. Uncle Hide smiled upon seeing Paul's dumbfounded expression.

"What's this for?" the groom asked indicating the handshake.

"**I wanted to…congratulate your bonding to Annabelle."** Uncle Hide explained simply. **"Isn't a handshake the proper gesture?"**

"Oh…OH! Yeah, it is." relief swept over him, "Thank you, Iron…_er_…Uncle Hide."

They released hands and Uncle Hide rested his on his silver belt buckle, **"I wanted you to know that since you and Annabelle are bonded, my guardianship encompasses you as well."**

Paul blinked, "It does?"

"**Yes."** the hologram nodded, **"So if you two need me, I will come."** He glanced at Annabelle and leaned closer to Paul with a mischievous smirk, **"And uh… if you 'irritate' Annabelle, I will also make an appearance."**

"Uncle Hide!" Annabelle scolded, smacking the hologram's arm.

Paul smiled, anticipating the all too familiar intimidation display from the tough guardian, "I guess I'll have to be the best husband I can be then."

The hologram smiled and clapped the young man soundly on the shoulder, **"Then I welcome you to the family…Paul."**

Paul's brown eyes widened considerably. It was the first time Ironhide had addressed him by name and not "boy".

Uncle Hide gradually nudged Paul toward Annabelle saying, **"Now go dance with your wife."**

Annabelle smiled happily at the event and took her husband's arm, tugging him toward the dance floor. It was hard watching her, knowing she was not going to be around, but Ironhide knew he would adapt as he had always done.


End file.
